Thomas Partey[1] has pleaded not guilty to five charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault.
Partey, 32, appeared this morning at Southwark Crown Court, just hours after he came off the bench in Villarreal’s 1-0 defeat by Tottenham[2] in the Champions League[3] on Tuesday evening.
The former Arsenal[4] midfielder is accused of two counts of rape against one woman and three counts against another. A further sexual assault allegation relates to a third woman. Partey has strenuously denied all the charges.
Partey appeared in court number two at 10am and he wore black trousers, black shoes, a black quarter zip jumper and a blue jacket.
He first spoke to confirm his name and date of birth and later entered his plea of not guilty to all six counts.
Thomas Partey appeared at Southwark Crown Court for a hearing relating to his rape charges
Former Arsenal star Partey, 32, is accused of two counts of rape against one woman and three counts against another
Partey played for Villarreal in their defeat by Spurs last night, where he came off the bench
A trial date was then set for November 2, 2026 at Southwark Crown Court.
‘I appreciate that is quite a long way in advance,’ Judge Christopher Hehir told Partey. ‘As you may appreciate the crown courts have a huge backlog of work which means that trials do take a long time to come on.
‘Because you have bail effectively you are sitting behind a queue of people in prison who are waiting to be tried.’
Partey was charged four days after leaving Arsenal when his contract expired at the end of June.
The midfielder appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to face the charges before being granted bail. He is prohibited from contacting any of the three women involved in the case, as per the bail conditions.
Partey’s lawyer said previously that he ‘denies all the charges against him’ and added he welcomes ‘the opportunity to finally clear his name’.
He subsequently joined Spanish side Villarreal on August 7, a move that was met with initial protests by the club’s fans.
Wednesday’s plea hearing had originally been scheduled for September 2 at the Old Bailey but it was adjourned without explanation.
References
- ^ Thomas Partey (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Tottenham (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Champions League (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Arsenal (www.dailymail.co.uk)