Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Man Utd star Mason Greenwood charged with attempted rape - court date set
Mason Greenwood has been charged with attempted rape.
Man Utd v Omonoia: Match in pictures
Janet Potter, the Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised Greater Manchester Police to charge Mason Greenwood, 21, with attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
“All three counts relate to the same complainant. Specialist rape prosecutors from CPS North West’s complex casework unit authorised the charges following a review of a file of evidence received from Greater Manchester Police. The defendant’s first court appearance will take place on Monday 17 October at Greater Manchester magistrates’ court."
Greenwood was arrested in January but bailed on February 2, with the Englishman originally expected to answer his bail on April 30 before the date was pushed back. Manchester United suspended the striker after his arrest, with Nike also dropping their sponsorship of the academy graduate.
United removed merchandise donning Greenwood’s name and number (11) from their club shop site, though some realised that the forward was still included as a player on the club website which prompted speculation that his return to Old Trafford was on the horizon. However, a club statement in April confirmed that was not the case.
It read: “There has been no change whatsoever in Mason’s status. We removed his profile from the club app soon after he was removed from the squad in January. This was in order to remove Mason from interactive elements of the app, such as team predictions etc.
"However, his profile was never removed from the website as he remains a Manchester United player, albeit not currently part of the squad while the legal process unfolds."
DON’T MISS
Man Utd can complete rebuild in January with three signings
Maguire tipped to trigger Man Utd dressing room revolt
Ten Hag makes £40m transfer decision at Man Utd
Greenwood has made 129 appearances in all competitions for United, last featuring on January 22 in his side’s 1-0 victory over West Ham. He scored 35 goals for the club in that time, earning himself an international call-up in 2020 - making a substitute appearance against Iceland.
The forward has reportedly continued to receive his £75,000-per-week salary from the Red Devils since his arrest at the start of the year though he has not trained with the squad while the investigation has been ongoing. After his arrest, United said: “We are aware of images and allegations circulating on social media. We will not make any further comment until the facts have been established. Manchester United does not condone violence of any kind."