Thomas Partey to appear in court on rape charges as he finalises Spain move
The 32-year-old is set to appear in person for the first time before Westminster Magistrates' Court. He was charged last month with five counts of rape and one of sexual assault, a few days after he left Arsenal once his contract had expired. He denies the charges.
Any charges will have to be dealt with at a Crown Court, so the magistrates will set any bail conditions. Partey's lawyer is expected to ask for the conditions to be set so that he can continue with his football career in Spain.
The Ghana international is understood to have agreed a two-year contract after completing a medical with Villarreal, who finished fifth in La Liga last season. The Spanish club are due to play Arsenal in a friendly at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
Partey was charged with two counts of rape against one complainant, three counts of rape against a second complainant and one count of sexual assault against a third complainant. The allegations relate to three women who reported incidents which took place between 2021 and 2022.
Partey was first arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2022, but continued to play for Arsenal while he remained under investigation.
The Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, who had previously said he was keen for Partey to stay at the club and sign a new contract, said last month he was '100 per cent sure' the club had followed the correct protocols over allowing him to continue to play.
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said last month she was concerned that clubs do not have a 'standard approach' when 'very, very highly paid' players face claims of sexual assault, and has set up a working group to look at the issue.
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