Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has been granted bail after appearing in court to face charges of rape and sexual assault.
The 32-year-old Ghanaian midfielder has been charged with five counts of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third woman.
The alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022, when he was playing for Arsenal.
Partey stood in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday with his hands clasped behind his back and wearing a black jumper with a zip at the neck.
His bail conditions include a ban on contact with any of the three women and an obligation to inform police of any permanent changes of address or international travel.
This comes amid reports that Partey is set to join Spanish club Villarreal.
When bail conditions were discussed in court, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring noted: “I know he is no longer working in this country and is now playing in Spain.”
Partey is due to appear at the Old Bailey on September 2.
The charge against him came four days after he left Arsenal when his contract expired at the end of June.
The Metropolitan Police said the first reports of suspected rape were received in February 2022.
Partey's lawyer Jenny Wiltshire previously said he “denies all the allegations made against him”, adding he was delighted “to finally have the opportunity to clear his name”.
If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can contact the National 24-hour Rape Helpline on 1800-77 8888, use the text messaging and web chat features at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit the Rape Crisis Help website.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
