Ghana international Thomas Partey appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday, April 13, entering not guilty pleas to two fresh counts of rape involving a fourth woman, bringing the total number of charges against the 32-year-old midfielder to eight including seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault.
The new allegations, announced in February 2026, relate to an incident alleged to have occurred in December 2020 in London, during Partey’s time as an Arsenal player. The charges follow an earlier set of accusations from July 2025, when he was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to three separate women, covering alleged incidents between 2021 and 2022. He has entered not guilty pleas to all charges.
Presiding Judge Tony Baumgartner ruled on Monday that all eight charges would be tried together, a decision that is likely to push the trial back significantly. A hearing previously scheduled for November 2026 may now be delayed until January 2027. A pre-trial hearing has been set for May 14 to address scheduling and logistics. Partey remains on bail, under conditions requiring him to notify police of any international travel.
“Thomas Partey continues to deny all charges against him. He has cooperated fully with the police throughout. Given that legal proceedings are ongoing, there will be no further comment.” — Jenny Wiltshire, Defence Lawyer
Partey arrived at court dressed in dark grey trousers, a black jumper over a white shirt, and smart black shoes, travelling in a people carrier and declining to speak to reporters. He was absent from Villarreal’s La Liga squad for their match against Athletic Club the day before the hearing.
Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 for a fee of approximately 50 million euros, going on to make 167 appearances for the club. Since joining Villarreal last summer, he has featured 26 times across all competitions. He has earned 53 caps for Ghana and represented the Black Stars at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
