Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault; the offences relating to three women are alleged to have taken place in 2021 and 2022; Partey denies the charges; Partey left Arsenal when his contract expired on June 30 2025
Thomas Partey was charged on July 4 with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, against three different women.
Two of those counts of rape are against one complainant, three further counts of rape are against a second complainant, and the sexual assault charge is said to have been committed against a third.
All of the incidents are alleged to have taken place between 2021 and 2022. Partey has denied all of the charges against him.
A statement from Partey’s lawyer said: “Thomas Partey denies all the charges against him. He has fully cooperated with the police and CPS throughout their three-year investigation. He now welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name.”
Why did it take so long for charges to be brought?
Partey was first arrested on suspicion of rape three years ago in July 2022. The Metropolitan Police have been carrying out a full investigation since then.
Sky Sports News has discovered that the first report on the case was passed from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service on December 27, 2024 – 18 months after Partey was initially arrested.
Following further investigations, an updated file on the case was lodged with the CPS in April. Two months after that, Partey was charged.
Rape cases are some of the most difficult criminal cases to prosecute, and the CPS will only charge someone if they believe there is a “realistic possibility of conviction” when all the evidence is placed before a jury.
It was only once the CPS had reviewed the police’s evidence against Partey in April that they felt this threshold had been reached, and there was enough information to charge him with the alleged crimes.
Two months ago, Rape Crisis published statistics that showed there were 71,227 cases of rape reported to the police in 2024. The charity believes many more assaults go unreported.
Conviction rates in England and Wales for rape and sexual assault are amongst the lowest for any crime – only 2.7 per cent of those 70,000+ cases ended up with a suspect being charged by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Investigations into sexual crimes can often be long and sensitive processes.
Partey is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Tuesday, August 5 to answer the six charges against him. It will probably be 2026 before his case can be heard in a full court trial.
In the meantime, the 32-year-old is free to continue his playing career, if he can find a new club that wants to sign him on a free transfer – but any future employer will also know he has been charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault.
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