Former England forward Andy Carroll has been charged with breaching a sexual assault restraining order and could face a prison term. The former Liverpool and Newcastle United player is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
For legal reasons, details of the incident cannot be disclosed. According to The Sun, Carroll was arrested in April and the crime is said to have taken place a month earlier.
In July, it was reported that an unnamed former Premier League footballer was arrested in front of other passengers at the airport after entering the UK. Now that he has been charged and named by the police, it is revealed that it was Andy Carroll.
The 36-year-old was detained shortly after arriving in Stansted on a flight from France. Essex Police said this week: “A man has been charged with breaching a sexual assault restraining order.”
“Andrew Carroll, 36, of Epping, was arrested on April 27 and the charges relate to an incident in March. He is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on December 30.”
A non-molestation order is a restraining order issued by a civil court, typically intended to prevent a person from approaching, contacting, or being near another individual, their address, or both. If you violate this, you may face criminal proceedings and be sentenced to up to five years in prison, depending on the circumstances.
At the time of Carroll’s arrest, a source told The Sun: “It appears that an issue was raised with Border Force officers at Stansted immigration and police were called. He was questioned and taken away. There were a number of other passengers around the area where he was arrested, so there was quite a commotion.”
Carroll has had an eventful career in football since coming through the ranks at Newcastle before signing for Liverpool in 2011 for around £35 million. The move did not go well, as he only scored 11 goals in 58 appearances before joining West Ham.
He then moved down the division to West Brom and then Reading in the Championship before moving to Amiens in France’s second division.
Carroll spent just over a season there before joining Bordeaux, who were relegated to the fourth division. He attracted attention during his short time at the club, scoring 11 goals in 23 games last season.
He currently plays for Dagenham and Redbridge in the National League South. Carroll joined on a free transfer in July after leaving Bordeaux at the start of the summer, signing a three-year contract.
