Thomas Partey Arsenal player charged with rape

[brake fader]

charged with 2 accounts of rape

[paulrockliffe]

5 counts of rape and 1 of sexual assault.

[Pommy]

Are these different to his previous rape charges?

[Challo]

Its been well known he was being investigated by the MET police. The fact Arsenal continued to play him despite the investigation and apparently was going to be offering him a new deal as well.

Funny how that deal never happened and suddenly he is charged with rape.

[48k]

Worse kept secret ever. I have chuckled in the past over the media dancing around it. You know they know, you know they are embargoed and have to watch what they say. As soon as his contract was not renewed you just knew it was because the CPS were ready to press charges.

[bstb3]

Challo said:

Its been well known he was being investigated by the MET police. The fact Arsenal continued to play him despite the investigation and apparently was going to be offering him a new deal as well.

Funny how that deal never happened and suddenly he is charged with rape.

4 days after his current deal expired the charges come. Thats a mighty coincidence, I hope there's nothing more to that (I assume not, but...). It's been an open secret for years, yet the press keep schtum about it. Compare and contrast to the ststorm United had over Greenwood when they even thought about bringing him back into the fold, yet this guy has been playing week in week out for years and not a peep. Maybe they were legally constrained, but then by whom?

Either way hopefully there's a proper trial and justice for the people involved, but it leaves a very bad taste the way this seems to have unfolded and been handled.

[Challo]

bstb3 said:

Challo said:

Its been well known he was being investigated by the MET police. The fact Arsenal continued to play him despite the investigation and apparently was going to be offering him a new deal as well.

Funny how that deal never happened and suddenly he is charged with rape.

4 days after his current deal expired the charges come. Thats a mighty coincidence, I hope there's nothing more to that (I assume not, but...). It's been an open secret for years, yet the press keep schtum about it. Compare and contrast to the ststorm United had over Greenwood when they even thought about bringing him back into the fold, yet this guy has been playing week in week out for years and not a peep. Maybe they were legally constrained, but then by whom?

Either way hopefully there's a proper trial and justice for the people involved, but it leaves a very bad taste the way this seems to have unfolded and been handled.

At least United did the decent thing and stopped Greenwood from playing but still paid his wages.

Arsenal continued playing him, and was in discussions over a new contract.

[48k]

Challo said:

Arsenal continued playing him, and was in discussions over a new contract.

Arsenal would argue why shouldn't it be business as usual unless and until Police either drop their investigation or press charges.

[Murph7355]

Challo said:

bstb3 said:

Challo said:

Its been well known he was being investigated by the MET police. The fact Arsenal continued to play him despite the investigation and apparently was going to be offering him a new deal as well.

Funny how that deal never happened and suddenly he is charged with rape.

4 days after his current deal expired the charges come. Thats a mighty coincidence, I hope there's nothing more to that (I assume not, but...). It's been an open secret for years, yet the press keep schtum about it. Compare and contrast to the ststorm United had over Greenwood when they even thought about bringing him back into the fold, yet this guy has been playing week in week out for years and not a peep. Maybe they were legally constrained, but then by whom?

Either way hopefully there's a proper trial and justice for the people involved, but it leaves a very bad taste the way this seems to have unfolded and been handled.

At least United did the decent thing and stopped Greenwood from playing but still paid his wages.

Arsenal continued playing him, and was in discussions over a new contract.

If it's taken that long for the CPS to decide there was enough of a case, maybe Arsenal felt the same way.

Look at the Cliff Richard debacle. We have to let the justice system take its course...premature judgements (trial by media if you like) can destroy innocent people.

Once the balance changes then by all means get sanctions in place. But before then?

[JoshSm]

bstb3 said:

4 days after his current deal expired the charges come. Thats a mighty coincidence, I hope there's nothing more to that (I assume not, but...).

Interesting timing that it took everything so long to get to this point, everyone carried on as normal, then almost immediately the deal expires things happen.

Doesn't mean it's not all absolutely fine and nothing is due to either deliberate or unconscious acts, but you'd think someone might have managed it better to remove any possibility of timing etc. being questioned.

[bstb3]

Murph7355 said:

If it's taken that long for the CPS to decide there was enough of a case, maybe Arsenal felt the same way.

Look at the Cliff Richard debacle. We have to let the justice system take its course...premature judgements (trial by media if you like) can destroy innocent people.

Once the balance changes then by all means get sanctions in place. But before then?

It's a tricky area. On the one hand we have to believe in innocent until proven guilty, but at the same time have sensitivity & respect for those making what must be very difficult & painful allegations. It's certainly an indictment on the CPS and Police that such serious allegations can take so long to be investigated to a point of charge / nfa - thats obviously not unique to this case but somewhat of a scandal that one of the most serious and heinous crimes, when alledged, can take years to resolve.

What I would say is how difficult it must be to be an (alledged) victim of such a thing, to then see the perpetrator being celebrated all the while things are taking so long to resolve. It feels the balanced course of action would be to take the approach United did with Greenwood and suspend pending further action / no further action (note he was suspended several months before being charged). If the charges are dropped the player should be able to resume with no further issues, if charged then the pay for the time suspended should be reclaimable by the club (as City were partly able to do with Mendy).

Continuing to play someone after they were arrested on such serious allegations doesn't quite feel right, but it's 100% a problem that is so massively exaggerated by how long the investigations and decisions to charge seem to take. Difficult for the club for sure, but putting ambition before concern for the victims is never going to be a good look.

[Murph7355]

How do you suspend someone and not have the finger of guilt pointed squarely at them though?

Totally agree it's very difficult. I suspect the length of time these things take by the CPS and police is borne of the same issues.

Until a charge is made (at least) both sides warrant some protection, don't they?

[Ascayman]

Murph7355 said:

How do you suspend someone and not have the finger of guilt pointed squarely at them though?

Totally agree it's very difficult. I suspect the length of time these things take by the CPS and police is borne of the same issues.

Until a charge is made (at least) both sides warrant some protection, don't they?

You just suspend while under investigation it’s not difficult, it’s exactly what Everton did.

I’m pretty sure if you went into your boss and told him you were being investigated by the police for multiple rapes against multiple women then he’d ask you to stop coming into the office for a while.

What you don’t do is try and whitewash it play him for two years, sing his name from the terraces ‘he shags who he wants’ was a particularly lo moment, get the manager to praise him every second and offer him a new contract.

Well not If you have any decency you don’t.