Leading figure in Premier League football accused of raping two teenage girls

The figure cannot be named for legal reasons

The Athletic have revealed that while detectives examined the ongoing complaint, the figure - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was being investigated by another police force at the same time for an alleged rape and possible child-sex offence from the 1990s.

The second alleged victim, known as Woman B, contacted the police force towards the end of 2021 and her relevant complaint was sent to their specialist unit for investigating sexual offences against under-16s. She also claims that the rape took place at the man's house.

Detectives investigating Woman B's complaint realised that it was affected by a legal rule under the 1956 Sexual Offences Act, the UK parliament’s legislation for England and Wales at the time.

Police informed Woman B that she had taken too long to file her complaint as the legislation states that if the alleged offence took place between 1956 and 2004, and the alleged victim was a girl aged 13 to 15, she had to make a complaint within a year.

This time limit was then subsequently abandoned when the 2003 Sexual Offences Act came into place in May 2004 but would still apply if the alleged offence had taken place between the previous timescale.

Police described the situation as complex and following a decision made by the Crown Prosecution Service, no further action was taken in the case of Woman B. The man was not arrested as a result.

Victims of alleged sexual offences are granted anonymity for life under UK law and while The Athletic say they know the identity of the man, they are unable to reveal his identity because of privacy rules in the UK to grant anonymity to suspects in the early stages of a police investigation.

That will remain the case unless the person in question is charged with a criminal offence.

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