A court in London has heard that former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey plans to reject two new rape accusations brought against him.
The 32-year-old midfielder is accused of raping a woman during a date in December 2020. These new claims add to other charges already filed against him.
The hearing took place on Friday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Partey did not attend the short session, but his lawyer told the court he would fight the accusations.
His barrister, Emma Fenn, said the footballer intends to plead not guilty when he appears at a higher court hearing scheduled for 10 April.
The Ghanaian player, who now plays for Spanish club Villarreal CF, is already facing several other accusations from different women. Last year, police charged him with five counts of rape involving two women and one count of sexual assault involving another woman. The claims are linked to events said to have happened in 2021 and 2022. He has denied all of those earlier accusations.
Prosecutor Arabella MacDonald told the court that the latest complainant decided to report the case after hearing about the other allegations. She said: “The complainant came forward after news of Mr Partey’s other matters were widely publicised.”
The footballer remains on bail. The court also ordered that he must not contact the woman who made the newest complaint.
A full trial on the earlier charges is expected to begin in November at Southwark Crown Court.
Partey became a well-known player after joining Arsenal F.C. from Atlético Madrid in 2020 in a deal reported to be worth about £45 million. He left the London club in June last year.
The midfielder has also played more than 50 matches for the Ghana national football team, including tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.