MANCHESTER, England
\nManchester United forward Mason Greenwood will no longer face charges of attempted rape and assault.
\nThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Thursday that the charges, which also included controlling and coercive behaviour, were discontinued.
\nGreenwood was formally charged in October after an investigation that began in January 2022.
\n\u201cIn this case, a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction,\u201d the CPS said in a statement. \u201cIn these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case.\u201d Greenwood was arrested in January 2022 after images and videos were shared on social media.
\nThe 21-year-old was suspended by United and not permitted to train with the team. The club has yet to comment on the decision by the CPS.
\nThe Greater Manchester Police said it understood the reasoning for the discontinued proceedings but confirmed its \u201ccommitment to investigating allegations of violence against women and girls\u201d.
\n\u201cThe investigation team has remained in regular contact with the legal team, providing any updates of note, and so understand the rationale for the discontinuation of proceedings at this stage, and that this decision has not been taken lightly,\u201d Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr said.
\nThe Bradford-born player came through the United academy and made his senior debut for the Red Devils in a Champions League victory away against Paris St Germain in March 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANCHESTER, England Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood will no longer face charges of attempted rape and assault. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Thursday that the charges, which also included controlling and coercive behaviour, were discontinued. Greenwood was formally charged in October after an investigation that began in January 2022. \u201cIn this case, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-311662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n