Thomas Partey appears at court on rape charges hours after being booed at Tottenham
Former Arsenal midfielder faces five rape charges and a sexual assault allegation; he denies all counts and has been granted bail with contact restrictions
Thomas Partey appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday to face a plea on five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, arriving just hours after being jeered by Tottenham fans during Villarreal’s Champions League loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 32-year-old former Arsenal midfielder is accused of two counts of rape against one woman and three counts of rape against a second woman. A separate allegation of sexual assault concerns a third woman, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed. Partey denies all the charges.
Prosecutors say the alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022. The Metropolitan Police have said the first report was received in February 2022. Partey was charged earlier this year and initially appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court, where he was granted bail. His bail conditions bar him from contacting any of the three women named in the charges.
Partey, who signed for Villarreal on Aug. 7 after his contract with Arsenal expired at the end of June, came off the bench in the 77th minute of Villarreal’s 1-0 defeat by Tottenham on Tuesday night. He was booed repeatedly by the home crowd and reportedly jeered each time he touched the ball.
A plea hearing set for Sept. 2 at the Old Bailey was previously adjourned without public explanation, leading to Wednesday’s appearance at Southwark Crown Court. Defence representatives have reiterated that Partey denies the allegations and have said he welcomes the opportunity to clear his name.
Legal representatives for the Crown have set out the counts in court filings; formal prosecution decisions and case management will continue through the Crown Court process. There was no immediate application for additional reporting restrictions and the court proceeded with the scheduled plea hearing.
The case adds a high-profile legal matter to the career of a player who made more than 200 Premier League appearances for Arsenal. It also follows initial protests from some Villarreal supporters when the club announced his signing in August. Club statements at the time said the matter was a private legal process and that the club would not comment further while proceedings were active.
The Metropolitan Police said investigators began receiving allegations in early 2022 and that the matter was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service before charges were authorised. The CPS confirmed the scope of the charges in court on Wednesday.
No trial date has been set. Court officials will manage pre-trial hearings and disclosure in the coming months as the Crown Court prepares the case for possible trial. Partey remains on bail under the conditions set by the magistrates' court, including the prohibition on contacting the women named in the charges.