Unnamed footballer's bail extended again

If guilty he will get his punishment in jail as a famous footballer who has committed the worst of crimes. If innocent his life and career will have been ruined by such a long drawn out investigation. Strange business.

Arrested on 16 July last year. I wonder why it's taking so long?

The story going around that he was being blackmailed. If innocent, it's going to be a year-plus maybe to have this hovering over him.

Has he actually been charged with these offences. ?.

Phil. No-one – well, certainly not me – is interested in tip-toeing round a millionaire footballer who we wasted a whole window chasing and another waste of space to what we could've done with that fee and wages. Just my opinion. Him and us need to move on pronto.

If he's suspended by the club because of the charges, is he on unpaid leave?

Brian. I didn't write the rules. They are there to protect a number of people including not only the alleged perpetrator but the alleged victim, who may well be young and vulnerable. If you think that's wrong then we disagree.

Be off the wage bill in June, but like others have said, if innocent, the long drawn out saga has not done him any favours and probably ended his football career.

'Un-named Everton footballer has endured a torrid season and not shown up at any of the matches'.

Is it Michael Keane? Mason Holgate? André Gomes maybe?

Such a case, whether innocent or guilty, can have devastating consequences for the individual involved.

I know of a man who was accused by an employee. Through a long process, he was found innocent. He then sold his business, but he told me he should have sold earlier, concentrating on the case and planning his new life. If he had been found guilty, it would have been unbearable, and stuck with a business, would have put him over the edge.

Of course the due process has to be gone through.

Jerome. That case is about the normal world with normal people getting realistic income. Hard to have sympathy with a Premier League footballer but obviously you're right as in consequences can be just as lethal and sad. I was looking at it as a Blue, that's all. He needs to move on, end of.

This is a weird situation and if the man bailed is eventually found not guilty, then his career will already have been wrecked.

Imagine we get relegated and, a few months later, he is acquitted.

We have no confirmed details. It was rumoured/speculated the issue involved one other person with the unnamed footballer.

Approaching one year since the arrest. Enquiries continuing, no formal charges laid. This must be one oddly complex case. Perhaps there is much more to it, or nothing to it.

Perhaps all or most of the investigating officers are RS season ticket holders.

Or maybe the nameless one attended one or more parties at Downing Street.

The possibilities are endless and everything is mere rumour and speculation.

I'm sorry but I find it very strange for someone to be arrested and his life shut down for the last 12 months. And still no charges against him. It doesn't sit right.

If there is really so much concern about the people involved, then why isn't it all kept hushed up from the very beginning?

Why do the police need to make such an opaque and yet blatantly obvious initial statement that ends up totally destroying the accused?

Why did the club need to come out with their ridiculous statement suspending some unnamed player? For it to then become obvious exactly who was suspended.

Does any of this nonsense aid the investigation? Or could that have proceeded in camera until they had enough evidence to prosecute, and then make it public?

And why on earth is it taking so incredibly long anyway?

And then we are left with the incalculable harm this episode has had on the morale and cohesion of the team in this dreadful season.

Maybe a lot of this becomes justified through his ultimate guilt. But it seems a shocking way to go about things. And if he turns out to be innocent... ooops. Sorry. Go commiserate with Dave Jones and Cliff Richard.

I suppose it's called due process. If the police didn't come out and report it, you can bet your life that it would be out there.

For somebody to be charged with an offence, as opposed to being arrested on suspicion, certain circumstances need to be satisfied.

1) There must be a good chance of CPS winning the case. The benchmark used to be a 50% chance of winning, at least, which isn't that demanding you might think. I don't know if this is still the case.

2) It must be in the public interest. Clearly underage sex charges satisfy this condition.

The fact that bail has been extended again probably means that one or other, or both circumstances have not yet been satisfied.

I think that in the case of a high profile individual, ‘in the public interest ‘ can be replaced by ‘of interest to the public' which isn't the same thing at all.

Whatever the answer, this individual, innocent or guilty, is basically in some sort of Limbo, or worse. Even if it goes to trial, given this ongoing time lag, it may well be that it won't be proven.

Either way he's fucked!

A full 12 months before the player may actually be charged; a shocking indictment of the our justice system and another example of incompetence from the CPS, most of them probably still working from home.

Furthermore, the unnameable player, if he had been available, would almost certainly have made a positive contribution at some stage during this woeful season.

Again I'm sorry but surely, if you're going to arrest someone, you must have evidence.

I agree with Michael K, all this is highly unsatisfactory

And without detailing it here, my understanding is the invisible man has a credible defence. We shall see

Paul, I think the word you are looking for is ‘suspicion'.