Footballer Thomas Partey pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault

"The former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault at Southwark crown court. The 32-year-old is accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third woman. The alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022, when he was an Arsenal player. Partey spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and his not guilty pleas during a plea and preparation hearing on Wednesday."

"At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Christopher Hehir told Partey: Your trial will take place at this court on November 2 of next year, 2026. I appreciate that is quite a long way in advance. As you may appreciate the crown courts have a huge backlog of work which means that trials do take a long time to come on. Because you have bail effectively you are sitting behind a queue of people in prison who are waiting to be tried."

"The judge granted bail on the same conditions as Partey was placed under at a hearing last month. They are that he cannot contact any of the three women and must notify police of any permanent changes of address or international travel. Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a transfer worth about 45m. The defensive midfielder had signed for the Spanish club in 2012 and made 188 appearances,"

Thomas Partey pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court, accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third between 2021 and 2022. He confirmed his name, date of birth and not guilty pleas during a plea and preparation hearing. Judge Christopher Hehir set a trial date for 2 November 2026 and explained that crown court backlogs delay trial scheduling, noting Partey on bail sits behind detained defendants. Bail conditions bar contact with the three women and require police notification of permanent address changes or international travel. Partey previously played for Arsenal after joining from Atletico Madrid in 2020 and moved to Villarreal on a free transfer in August.

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