A former professional footballer, Thomas Partey, has entered a plea of not guilty regarding two new allegations of rape. The 32-year-old appeared at Southwark Crown Court, where he denied the accusations of raping a woman in London in December 2020.
Partey, who transferred from Arsenal to Villarreal last summer, was previously charged in July of last year with five additional counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, stemming from incidents reported in 2021 and 2022. He has also pleaded not guilty to these earlier charges. The upcoming trial, initially set for November of this year, may be postponed until January 2027 due to the introduction of these new allegations.
In total, Partey has denied seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault involving four different women. During the court proceedings, Judge Tony Baumgartner, the Recorder of Westminster, consented to have all allegations addressed in a single trial.
During the hearing, Partey was dressed in dark grey trousers, a black jumper layered over a white shirt, and polished black shoes. He confirmed his identity and entered his not guilty pleas.
Although Partey did not attend the prior hearing at Westminster Magistrates‘ Court when the charges were first presented, his legal representative indicated that he would plead not guilty.
Currently, he remains on bail throughout the legal process, with the stipulation that he must not contact the alleged victims.
Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a transfer deal valued at approximately £45 million. He departed the club last June and is anticipated to represent Ghana in the upcoming World Cup this summer.
His next court appearance is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on May 14.
Bildquelle: Foto von Omar Ramadan auf Unsplash
