Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been granted conditional bail after making his first appearance in court since being charged with five counts of rape and one of sexual assault.
The 32-year-old’s Arsenal contract expired on June 30, four days before he was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). A statement revealed that the Ghana international had been accused of “five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. These allegations relate to three separate women who reported incidents which took place between 2021 and 2022.”
Partey’s hearing on Tuesday at Westminster magistrates court was brief and resulted in the footballer being released before he is scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey in London on Sep. 2.
The chief magistrate Paul Goldspring listed the terms of Partey’s bail, telling the accused that he is prohibited from contacting any of the three women involved and must inform police of any permanent change of address or if he stays in a location other than his home for 14 consecutive days.
Partey must also provide police with 24 hours notice of any international travel, which will be critical as the midfielder is widely expected to join Spanish top flight side Villarreal. Goldspring told the hearing: “I understand he’s no longer employed in this country and playing in Spain now.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been tight-lipped on the topic but insisted that his club followed the correct protocols after Partey was first arrested in July 2022. U.K. law ensures that suspects cannot be publicly named until charged by police, entitling Partey to anonymity while under investigation. He accumulated 108 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal during this period.
Partey did not reply to comment from media representatives in Westminster on Tuesday. His lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire of Hickman and Rose, has previously provided a statement protesting their client’s innocence. “Thomas Partey denies all the charges against him,” it read. “He has fully cooperated with the police and CPS throughout their three-year investigation. He now welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Thomas Partey: Ex-Arsenal Midfielder Granted Conditional Bail on Multiple Rape Charges.