Sale suspends England international after rape allegation
NEWS: An England international arrested over the alleged rape of a teenager has been suspended by club side Sale.
A 29-year-old, who is understood not to be a current member of Eddie Jones’s England squad, was held in Manchester this past Sunday – following reports of an attack at a nightclub the day before.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police said the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been arrested on suspicion of an alleged attack on a woman “in her late teens” in the Openshaw area of Manchester.
Sale later revealed they had been “made aware of an allegation against one of its players and the subsequent arrest of that player by Greater Manchester Police on Sunday”.
Their statement added: “The player in question has been suspended by Sale Sharks until further notice and is currently cooperating with police officers to assist in their investigation.
“As this matter is subject to a legal process there will be no further comment at this time.”
#NEWS: England player has reportedly been arrested on the suspicion of raping a teenager last weekend.#rugby #England https://t.co/uWLl2QuDd1
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) January 12, 2022
The police confirming the report of an incident, said: “Officers were called shortly before 11.00 on Sunday, January 9, to a report of a sexual assault on a female on Thorpeness Square in Manchester.
“A woman in her late teens was reported to have been sexually assaulted.
“She is currently being supported by specialist officers.
“A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of rape and a 41-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of administering a substance with intent to cause a sexual offence.
“Both have since been released on bail as enquiries continue and a number of lines of enquiry are being followed up by detectives.”
* Meanwhile, not naming the player involved in the matter had an unfortunate consequence for Bath’s Danny Cipriani and his wife – as they found themselves doorstepped on Wednesday by the media and it led to Victoria Cipriani taking to social media to ask that they be left alone.
“A load of journalists have turned up outside my home this morning, causing me great alarm and distress, apparently guessing (wrongly) that the story already in some parts of the press about a rugby player and his partner being arrested on suspicion of sexual offences might relate to Danny and myself,” she wrote.
“I presume they are making that wild guess because I am the same age as the woman is reported to be in the stories about that case. That is completely unwarranted and wholly unacceptable.
“Neither Danny nor myself have been arrested, nor do we have anything to do with the reported case, whatsoever. We do not know anything about it.
“The press has come to the wrong people and I would ask that they please leave us alone, immediately. This is hugely upsetting for so many reasons. Please share and thanks for taking note of this.”
Sale Sharks have issued the following statement regarding recent media reports in the national press.
— Sale Sharks 🦈 (@SaleSharksRugby) January 12, 2022
