Search icon

Crime

27th Jul 2021

Police confirm they are investigating blackmail after Wayne Rooney hotel photos go viral

Kieran Galpin

The photos of Rooney are now under investigation.

Former international footballer Wayne Rooney has hit the headlines over pictures that show him partying with model Tayler Ryan and her friends. Rooney has insisted that this is a scam and reportedly spoke to the Greater Manchester police about this incident.

A Cheshire Police spokesperson told the Mirror this morning: “We have received a complaint of blackmail which we are reviewing.”

The Mirror reports that Rooney invited the group into his VIP booth. Wayne and two of his friends then joined the girls in their £60-a-night room at Staycity hotel.

Wayne’s wife Coleen Rooney has since said she believes her husband and vows to stand by him.

“Coleen is fully behind him. She feels he’s been the victim of a stitch-up,” the Sun reports.

“She has spoken to him and is entirely backing his version of events. They are rock solid.”

“I ran over when I spotted it was him. I was so excited to see my footballing hero,” said a fan who filmed Rooney in the street.

“He’d clearly had a heavy night and was all over the place. He was struggling to put words together. It was daylight and heaving in town.”

The MailOnline reports that the images are understood to have been taken on Saturday night, the first weekend that nightclubs had been open since March 2020.

The images show no suggestion of wrongdoing on Rooney’s part.

Greater Manchester Police have launched an investigation after Rooney’s lawyers made a complaint to them. His legal team has not confirmed the exact complaint, but it is understood that the ex-footballer and current Derby County manager believes he was set up.