You are in > manchester.com  > News > Cristiano Ronaldo arrested on rape charge

General Sports News

Cristiano Ronaldo arrested on rape charge

19/10/2005

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is being detained for questioning by police over an alleged rape claim.

The 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder is believed to have been arrested in connection with an incident at the five-star Sanderson Hotel in London on October 1st, following United's 3-2 Premiership win over Fulham.

The Metropolitan police confirmed today that two men went voluntarily to an unspecified London police station "in connection with an investigation following allegations of serious sexual assault at a central London hotel".

The Met added: "One man - in his 20s - has been arrested on suspicion of rape by officers from Met's Sapphire team. He is currently being interviewed and remains in custody at the police station."

They also revealed that the second man, in his 30s, was not arrested.

United's director of communications Phil Townsend has said that the club will not being releasing a statement at this time.

The incident is the just the latest in a growing line of sex scandal stories to blight the image of professional footballers in this country.

Twelve months ago, two Premiership footballers were interviewed over an alleged gang rape at the Grosvenor House hotel in London before insufficient evidence saw them cleared by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Also last year, three Leicester City players spent nearly a week in a Spanish jail after three women claimed the footballers sexually assaulted them. These charges were also dropped.

And then this year, former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris was accused of raping a woman in Leeds, before being cleared, and Arsenal's young forward Robin van Persie was detained in Rotterdam for two weeks on a rape charge. He too was later cleared.

© Adfero Ltd