When Thomas Partey will next appear in court as ex-Arsenal man pleads not guilty to rape charges

Thomas Partey will next appear in court in November 2026 after pleading not guilty to five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The 32-year-old, who left Arsenal at the end of June upon the expiry of his contract, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday morning where he pleaded not guilty to all six counts he is accused of. Partey spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and his not guilty pleas during a short hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday.

Partey has been charged with two counts of rape of one woman, three counts of rape to a second woman and one count of sexual assault of a third woman. He allegedly carried out the offences between 2021 and 2022, the Metropolitan Police previously said.

The midfielder, who now plays for Spanish club Villarreal, faces trial under a High Court judge at Southwark Crown Court on November 2 next year. At the conclusion of Wednesday's hearing, Judge Christopher Hehir told Partey: “Your trial will take place at this court on November 2 of next year, 2026.

“I appreciate that is quite a long way in advance. 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.”

The judge granted bail on the same conditions as Partey was placed under at a previous hearing – that he cannot contact any of the three women and must notify police of any permanent changes of address or international travel.

The Ghana international appeared in court just hours after appearing for Villarreal against Tottenham in the Champions League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday. The midfielder started on the bench against Thomas Frank's side but was brought on late in the second half.

Partey spent five years at Arsenal after making the £45million move from Atletico Madrid in 2020. He joined Villarreal in the summer on a free and has so far made five appearances for the La Liga side.

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