Former Arsenal and Ghana international midfielder Thomas Partey has been formally charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Thursday. The charges involve allegations from three women, with the offences alleged to have occurred between 2021 and 2022.
Partey, 32, who joined Arsenal in 2020 for £45 million, became a free agent after his contract with the club expired on Monday. He is scheduled to appear before London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 5 to answer to the charges.
According to police, two counts of rape relate to one complainant, three counts to a second, and the sexual assault charge to a third woman. “The charges follow an investigation by detectives, which commenced in February 2022 after police first received a report of rape,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, leading the investigation, stated: “Our priority remains providing support to the women who have come forward.”
Partey was initially arrested in July 2022, though he was not publicly identified at the time and continued playing for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
