Details of Thomas Party’s claim were read out in Westminster Magistrate’s court as the former Arsenal footballer was granted conditional bail on his first court appearance. Ghana International, 32, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
He was charged with five counts of rape against two women and sexually assaulting a third woman. The suspicious crime took place between 2021 and 2022, when he was playing for Arsenal. Part was charged four days after leaving the club after his contract expired at the end of June. He denies all charges.
Part was wearing a black zip-neck jumper, carrying a naval blazer when he entered the courtroom. He stood with his arm behind the dock’s back and spoke only to see details such as his name, date of birth and address.
The hearing lasted about 15 minutes and the party was granted conditional bail. This means he will be able to continue his career as a soccer player before appearing in the next courtroom at Old Bailey at 10am on September 2nd.
Judge Goldspring told the party: “You face six charges, five of which are prosecutable, meaning you have to be sent to Crown Court. If it’s a related offence, you can send a sixth claim. In this case, you’ll be sent to the Central Crown Court.
Part thanked the judge when he said he could leave the court freely.
A brief summary of the charges read out by Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC is as follows:
Claim 1: Anal rape of the petitioner from April 2021 to May 2021. Applicant 1 engages in consensual vaginal intercourse and alleges that Thomas Part infiltrated the anus into the penis without her consent. The allegations were reported to police in February 2022, and Partoo was arrested and interviewed in July 2022.
Claim 2: Anal rape 1 of petitioner 1 from April 2021 to June 2021. Applicant 1 alleges that he inserted his penis into the anus at least four times without her consent. Partey attended a voluntary interview in November 2024.
Charge 3: Applicant 2 vaginal rape in December 2021. Thomas Party asked Applicant 2 about sex, but she said she didn’t want to, but he allegedly penetrated her vagina into his penis without consent anyway. The allegations were filed with police in February 2025, and Partey attended a voluntary interview in March 2025.
Claim 4: Anal rape of petitioner 2 in February 2022. Thomas Party allegedly asked Applicant 2 for anal sex. This was reported to police in September 2022, but in a voluntary interview in March 2025, no claims were placed at the party.
Claim 5: Vagina rape of Marbella petitioner 2 in June 2022. Applicant 2 alleges that Thomas Party raped her in the vagina in Spain. Partey was interviewed about this in July 2022.
Accusation 6: Sexual assault on Applicant 3 in February 2022. Thomas Party is said to have been sexually assaulted when he lies on her and lies on her to attend his address, attempting to kiss her, and not agreeing to her and touching her entire body. She tried to push him away, and a few minutes later he stopped. He attended a voluntary interview about this in February 2023.
In a statement on July 4, when the party was indicted, his lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, said:
“He now welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name. Given the ongoing legal process, my client cannot comment further.”
An Arsenal spokesperson added at the time: “The player’s contract ended on June 30th. Due to continued legal proceedings, the club cannot comment on the incident.”
The case continues.
