Former Arsenal Footballer Thomas Partey, Charged With Rape, Granted Conditional Bail by London Court

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who was part of the Premier League side until the end of the 2024-25 season, has been granted conditional bail by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London after being formally charged by the police with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. 

The offenses that he has been booked for relate to three different women from the time period between 2021 and 2022, during which time he continued to turn out for the Gunners whenever he was medically available to do so. 

But he is no longer under contract with the London-based side and that is believed to be one of the key reasons why he was charged now. 

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How Partey Appeared in Court

Partey arrived at court wearing a dark zip up sweater and carrying a suit jacket. In court, he stood with his arms behind his back in the dock.

His lawyer Jenny Wiltshire previously said he “denies all the charges against him” and that he welcomed “the opportunity to finally clear his name”.

Partey is a free agent after his contract at Arsenal expired at the end of June. He is reportedly set to join Spanish team Villarreal.

“I understand he’s no longer employed in this country and playing in Spain now,” chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said. 

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Can Partey Be Convicted?

The conditions of Partey's bail include that he cannot contact any of the women and must notify police of any permanent changes of address or international travel.

Police said the investigation was opened in February 2022 when it first received a report of rape. Partey was charged July 4 - days after his Arsenal contract expired. He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on September 2.

One of the reasons the police took so long to charge him in the first place was because getting a conviction to stick for charges of rape and sexual assault requires watertight proof. 

As of now, it remains to be seen how the case progresses.