Partey enters not guilty pleas to two new rape allegations

Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty to two new allegations of rape.

The 32-year-old appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday to deny twice raping a woman in London on a day in December 2020.

The midfielder, who left Arsenal for Villarreal last summer, was charged in July last year with five counts of rape and one allegation of sexual assault, dating back to 2021 and 2022.

He previously pleaded not guilty to those charges, and a trial was set for November this year.

The two new rape charges were announced in February this year, and on Monday Judge Tony Baumgartner, the Recorder of Westminster, agreed for all the allegations to be tried together.

But he warned Partey and lawyers in the case that the trial could now be delayed until January next year.

In total, the footballer has now pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to allegations from four different women.

Partey, wearing dark grey trousers, a black jumper over a white shirt, and smart black shoes, spoke to confirm his name and enter the two not guilty pleas during Monday's hearing.

He left the dock with his charcoal grey suit jacket slung over his left shoulder.

Partey was absent from Westminster Magistrates' Court last month when the charges came before a judge for the first time.

But his lawyer indicated that not guilty pleas would be entered.

The Ghanaian midfielder, who previously lived in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a transfer worth around £45m, before he left the club in June last year.

He is expected to face England in the World Cup this summer, as an integral part of the Ghana national side.

Partey is on bail during the legal proceedings, with a condition that he does not contact alleged victims.

The court heard Mr Justice Bennathan is expected to be the trial judge.

Partey's case is next due to be listed in court, for a pre-trial hearing, on May 14.

A decision will be taken on the exact trial date when the judge has been confirmed.