Why It Took Three Years for Thomas Partey’s Identity to Be Exposed in Assault Charges
· YEN.com.gh News · Join- Thomas Partey is in hot water as his identity has finally been disclosed after three years in connection with serious assault charges
- The midfielder has been charged following claims made by three women regarding incidents that allegedly took place between 2021 and 2022
- The 32-year-old Ghanaian, who departed from Arsenal at the end of June of this year, is due to appear in court in early August
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Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is at the centre of major headlines after being charged with multiple serious offences by the Metropolitan Police.
The Ghana international is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court next month in connection with the case.
Authorities accuse the Black Stars midfielder of five counts of a non-consensual act and one count of assault involving three different women.
Source: Getty Images
Details of the charges against Partey
According to a statement from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the alleged incidents occurred between 2021 and 2022.
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Two of the counts relate to one woman, three others to a second woman, and the final charge, described as assault, is linked to a third woman.
Police confirm the investigation has been active since 2022.
It was widely reported at the time that a Premier League footballer had been arrested on suspicion of a non-consensual act.
However, the suspect's identity was not disclosed, and the player remained on bail, which was extended on multiple occasions. He was later interviewed under caution towards the end of 2023.
Why Partey could not be named earlier
In early 2024, reports suggested that a full case file had been submitted to the CPS by the Metropolitan Police.
Despite mounting speculation, Partey could not legally be identified until charges were formally filed.
This delay in naming the suspect stems from evolving legal protections around privacy for individuals under criminal investigation.
A landmark ruling by the Supreme Court in 2022 established that individuals being investigated, but not yet charged, generally have a right to privacy.
The Supreme Court ruling that changed media coverage
The case, known as Bloomberg LP vs ZXC, involved a business executive referred to as "ZXC" who sought legal recourse over an article revealing he was under criminal investigation.
The court ruled unanimously in ZXC's favour, stating that a person under investigation has "a reasonable and objectively founded expectation of privacy" concerning that fact.
The judges further emphasised that this expectation applies regardless of the type of crime or the public profile of the suspect, noting that involvement in politics, business, or other public spheres does not diminish a person’s right to privacy before formal charges are filed.
In the ruling, the court explained:
"Those who have simply come under suspicion by an organ of the state have, in general, a reasonable and objectively founded expectation of privacy in relation to that fact and an expressed basis for that suspicion."
This is why many media outlets refrained from naming Partey until formal charges were brought by the Metropolitan Police on Friday.
Even before this, identifying suspects ahead of charges was risky for news organisations due to the high possibility of expensive legal action.
Partey’s football future now uncertain
This legal framework explains why many media outlets refrained from publicly naming Thomas Partey before the Metropolitan Police formally charged him on Friday.
Partey, 31, arrived at Arsenal in 2020 following the club's decision to activate the £45 million release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract.
Source: Getty Images
During his time with the Gunners, Partey made 167 appearances, scoring nine goals, and won the Community Shield.
His future in football is now uncertain following these developments.
Thomas Partey due to get married
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Partey was reportedly due to get married on Saturday, just a day after being charged with multiple serious offences involving three women.
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Source: YEN.com.gh