All charges against Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood have been dropped, the police in Manchester reported on Thursday. The 21-year-old Englishman was arrested a year ago on suspicion of raping and assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
Greenwood was arrested last year on suspicion of rape in 2021. His girlfriend at the time had shared photos of injuries to her body on social media. She also published a voice message in which Greenwood more or less forces her to have sex.
A spokesman for the public prosecutor says Manchester Evening News that new evidence has emerged. “Key witnesses also retracted their statements. All this meant that there was little prospect of a conviction. Given the circumstances, we feel compelled to stop the case.”
“We have explained our decision to all parties. We would like to emphasize that we always encourage potential victims to come forward and tell their story to the police.”
The charges against Greenwood had already been softened at an earlier stage. At first he was suspected of rape, but that changed to attempted rape and assault resulting in physical injury.
United decided to immediately suspend Greenwood after his arrest last year. In addition, the single international lost his sponsorship contract with Nike.
United has not yet commented on the new developments. The team of manager Erik ten Hag is fourth in the Premier League. The club reached the final of the League Cup on Wednesday at the expense of Nottingham Forest.
