Manchester United release statement after Mason Greenwood charged with attempted rape, coercive control and ABH
MANCHESTER United released a statement tonight after Mason Greenwood was charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and ABH.
The ace, 21, was suspended after spending three nights in custody in January after police swooped on his home in Bowdon, Greater Manchester.
The club said in a statement: “Manchester United notes that criminal charges have been brought against Mason Greenwood by the Crown Prosecution Service.
“He remains suspended by the club, pending the outcome of the judicial process.”
Police today confirmed Greenwood has been charged with attempted rape, ABH and coercive and controlling behaviour.
It comes after he was arrested this morning on suspicion of being in contact with his alleged victim.
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The Crown Prosecution Service then authorised Greater Manchester Police to charge the footballer.
Greenwood will appear at Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The alleged offences relate to one woman and are said to have taken place between December 1, 2018, and October 15, 2022.
Greenwood is accused of coercively controlling the alleged victim for almost four years and attempting to rape her on October 21, 2021.
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He also allegedly assaulted her on December 12, 2021, and December 31, 2021.
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.”
Manchester United said in a statement: “Manchester United notes that criminal charges have been brought against Mason Greenwood by the Crown Prosecution Service.
“He remains suspended by the club, pending the outcome of the judicial process.”
The striker has been waiting to discover his fate since he was first held in January this year.
He spent three nights in custody after he was arrested at his rented home in Bowdon, Greater Manchester.
Greenwood was bailed on February 2 and has been keeping a relatively low profile since.
He was originally due to answer his bail on April 30 but the decision was pushed back after a court hearing in June.
The striker remains suspended by Utd but still receives his £75,000-a-week salary pending the outcome of any criminal proceedings.
The club were previously forced to release a statement confirming there has been no change to Greenwood’s status.
Utd initially said it did “not condone violence of any kind,” but later suspended Greenwood after cops launched a probe.
But some eagle-eyed fans discovered the player was still visible on the club’s website – leading to speculation he could be reinstated.
MASON ARREST
The statement from Utd 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.”
Greenwood has been removed from FIFA 22 and dropped by sponsors Nike in the wake of the allegations.
Football Manager 2022 has also confirmed he will not feature in the game.
All merchandise bearing the No11’s name has been axed from the official Utd site and teammates have unfollowed him on Instagram.
Greenwood’s promising domestic and international career remains in jeopardy.
He last played for the Red Devils on January 22 when the team beat West Ham 1-0.
The player joined the team aged just six and rose through the ranks to land himself a regular spot on the first team.
In 2019, he became the youngest footballer to play for Utd in the Champions League when he took to the pitch aged 17.
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Greenwood has made 129 appearances in total for the Red Devils and netted 35 goals.
In 2020, England manager Gareth Southgate gave the striker his first cap when Greenwood came off the bench in a 1-0 win against Iceland.