CPS given file over Premier League footballer rape claims | Global News Avenue

The Metropolitan Police has submitted a full file of evidence regarding a Premier League footballer accused of rape to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a charging decision, the BBC has learned.

The CPS said it was scrutinizing a file of evidence relating to one man, while the Met said it was continuing to investigate reports of alleged sex offenses between 2021 and 2023.

This is from a BBC News Investigation Five of the women have accused the footballer of rape, sexual assault or controlling behaviour.

Despite four of the women reporting the man – whom we’ll call Player X – to police, he continued to play for his Premier League club.

One of the women (we’ll call her Kira) first reported Player X to the police in August 2021 and called on the CPS to prioritize charging decisions because the lengthy process had taken a severe emotional toll on her.

She previously told the BBC that the club and governing body failed to act on the allegations after she contacted their maintenance team, which led to her attempting to take her own life.

“I don’t want to live in a world where I’m constantly reminded that rape accusations can be ignored as long as you’re talented enough,” she said.

Another woman said they believed that had Player X been suspended by the club or the FA after the first allegation, she would not have continued to be sexually assaulted.

A BBC investigation found that since 2020, players or owners at seven of 20 Premier League clubs have been investigated by police for sex crimes.

Both the FA and Premier League say they take sexual misconduct very seriously.

In July 2022, Player X was arrested for the first time on suspicion of rape after a woman reported it. Soon after, he was also arrested for earlier accusing another woman of rape, who reported him to police in August 2021.

In February 2023, he was questioned by police over sexual assault allegations made by a third woman.

In November 2024, the footballer was further questioned by police in relation to a rape allegation made by a fourth woman in 2023.

Privacy rules over the suspect’s identity mean the BBC will not reveal the footballer’s name. The BBC understands the player has denied wrongdoing.

On Wednesday, a Metropolitan Police spokesman told the BBC: “The full file has been passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

“Those who come forward to police will continue to receive support from the Metropolitan Police.”

The player’s club and the Premier League have previously told the BBC they were unable to comment on the ongoing police investigation.

After first reporting the incident to police in August 2021, Kira “desperately” emailed the FA, Premier League and club about her allegations the next month because she feared he continued to be involved in the incident while he was under investigation. Playing football on such a big platform.

The club told her that her allegations could not be discussed for legal reasons. The Premier League led her to the FA.

More than four months after contacting the FA about her allegations, the FA told her in an email that “no further action would be taken” as the alleged conduct did not breach its rules.

It said there was “no evidence” that Player X “posed a risk of harm to children or adults at risk”. It sent her a PDF document called “Football’s Child Protection Policy” but it did not apply to her.

“They hide behind a lack of policy while knowing that the regulations they have in place are designed to protect profits, not victims,” ​​Kira said.

In July 2024, Kira again contacted the club, the Premier League and the FA to send them evidence that she was a “vulnerable adult”.

In an email seen by the BBC, the club told her they had forwarded her letter to the Premier League and the FA. The Premier League told her it was unable to discuss the allegations, which are currently under police investigation. The FA told her it could not share any details or updates on whether the FA had taken any intervention.

“In addition, we refer to our email… in which we explained that we were not the individual’s employer,” it added.

Speaking about the response, Kira told the BBC that their letters “reinforced a devastating message: I don’t matter, it doesn’t matter more women come forward, and even if I meet the safeguarding requirements, I never will” important”.

Another woman, Mia, said she believed that had the FA and clubs taken action when first alerted to the rape allegation in 2021, she would not have subsequently gone to Player X’s home to accuse him of sexually assaulting her .

She told the BBC: “If they had decided to take the first allegation seriously…if they had suspended him, I wouldn’t have been in the position I was in that day.”

“Their decision pains me,” she said.

While the FA has a detailed policy for players accused of betting on matches, there is no similar policy for players accused of sexual or domestic violence that occurs outside a football environment.

Some lawyers in the UK have pointed out that in the absence of overarching rules, football clubs face a number of legal difficulties as they consider how to deal with players facing accusations of sexual or domestic violence.

An FA spokesman said: “Our safeguarding policies and procedures enable us to support and protect children and adults who are at risk in football-related settings.”

“Wherever the incident occurs, if the person plays a role in football we always carry out a thorough safety risk assessment and if we believe there is a risk of harm to children we will take appropriate action. We are unable to comment specifically “

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