The professional soccer player who was arrested on multiple child sexual abuse charges had the case against him dropped, according to The Athletic. The player from the Premier League was suspended by his club shortly after his arrest in July 2021 and has been on bail since that point. Authorities said the evidence against him “does not reach the threshold set out on the Code for Crown Prosecutors.” (The player’s name was not released publicly due to U.K. privacy laws.)
“We understand that when we decide not to authorise charges in any case it can be extremely difficult for complainants, and when we meet with them, we would always attempt to explain our decision, including any legal reasoning, as fully as possible,” a Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said on Friday, per The Guardian. “However, where our legal test is not met we cannot bring a prosecution, no matter how serious the allegations are. We never want to deter victims from coming forward. When a case has been fully investigated by police and where our legal test is met, we will work with them to build as strong a case as possible for a court to consider.”
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When the unnamed player was arrested on July 16, 2021, detectives were investigating allegations of unlawful sexual activity involving a girl under the age of 16. He was suspended by his club with full pay and moved to a safe house while he waited to hear whether the allegation would result in charges. While the player’s name was not reported by the U.K. press, it was revealed the club the player is a member of Everton, which released a statement in July 2021 saying they had suspended one of their players “pending a police investigation.”
It was reported that privately, the club was stunned to learn the news of the arrest. The player is no longer on the Everton roster and has kept a low profile. He was looking to leave the United Kingdom but couldn’t because of his arrest.
“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and everyone deserves a fair trial,” attorney general Michael Ellis told The Guardian. “A misjudged tweet or post could have grave repercussions and interfere with a trial. It could mean a trial is delayed or at worst stopped because a fair trial isn’t possible – so I would caution everyone, don’t get in the way of justice being done.”
