Thomas Partey charged with two new counts of rape

Thomas Partey, the former Arsenal midfielder, has been charged with two new counts of rape.

Partey, 32, faces trial in November after denying raping two women and sexually assaulting a third woman.

The Crown Prosecution Service has now authorised two additional counts of rape against Partey.

Partey will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 13 March, in relation to the new allegations.

Partey previously pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one charge of sexual assault when he appeared at Southwark Crown Court in September last year.

Those alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022. At the time Partey, now playing in La Liga, was a first-team regular in the Premier League at the north London club. He was charged four days after leaving Arsenal, following the expiration of his contract at the end of June.

Partey, who is on bail, is due to face trial on November 2. He now plays for Spanish side Villarreal. The conditions of his bail do not prevent Partey from playing football, but he must notify police of any international travel 24 hours in advance and must not contact the complainants.

Partey remains a key player in the Ghana international team, who will face England at the World Cup group stages in the United States on June 23.