Footballer Thomas Partey charged with two further counts of rape

The footballer Thomas Partey has been charged with two new counts of rape relating to an additional woman who came forward to police with the allegations in August last year.Partey will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 13 March in relation to the additional charges issued by the Crown Prosecution Service over allegations that date from 2020.The 32-year-old, who signed for the Spanish club Villarreal in August after his Arsenal contract expired, was charged in July with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when he was an Arsenal player.Partey pleaded not guilty to all those charges at Southwark Crown Court in September, where a trial date was set for 2 November 2026.Partey’s defence lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, said: “Thomas Partey continues to deny all charges against him. He has cooperated with the police throughout. Given there are ongoing legal proceedings, there will be no further comment.”Partey was granted bail in relation to the initial charges on the same conditions he had previously been placed under, including that he cannot make contact with any of the three alleged victims and must inform police of any permanent changes of address or international travel.Partey was first charged in July four days after leaving Arsenal, who he joined in 2020. He has played 21 times for Villarreal this season and has continued playing for Ghana, making his most recent international appearance in a World Cup qualifier against Comoros in October 2025. Ghana have qualified for the World Cup.