Wolf Creek actor John Jarratt found not guilty of 1976 rape of former housemate

Wolf Creek actor John Jarratt has been found not guilty of raping his former female housemate more than 40 years ago.

The 66-year-old Aussie actor testified before the NSW District Court jury this week that he was ‘seduced’ by the woman in September 1976 at the Sydney house they shared with his wife, Rosa Miano.

Now, according to multiple news outlets, a jury of five men and seven women have found him not guilty after deliberating for almost two hours.

Channel Ten Sydney reporter Gillian Bowen live tweeted the verdict from court and claimed Jarratt threw his hands up in the air as his wife was seen crying in relief as he was cleared.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the woman who accused Jarratt of rape claimed this week in court that he smelled of alcohol when he allegedly entered her room around 3am and woke her up by pulling off her sheets.

She then claimed he ripped off her underwear before pinning her down and assaulting her.

However, Jarratt denied the claims from the start and insisted in court that they had consensual sex. His wife was meanwhile sleeping in a room close by.

“One thing led to another,” he said previously, according to the news outlet. “It was a form of seduction from her that I reacted to… I did not rape this person.”

The former Better Homes and Gardens presenter was first charged after the woman went to police in late 2017.

The actor originally made his screen debut on The Great Macarthy in 1975. The same year he appeared in Picnic at Hanging Rock. In recent times he’s appeared in a number of TV shows and movies including Wolf Creek and McLeod’s Daughters.