No deadline for decision on whether Icelandic footballer will be prosecuted in UK

Michael Kenrick 05/02/2023 23comments  |  Jump to last

The Office of the Crown Prosecutor in the UK is currently reviewing evidence against an Icelandic footballer and deciding whether it will pursue prosecution against him or drop the matter entirely.

RÚV claims the player in question has been accused of “multiple sexual offenses” and has been subject to a travel ban that has prevented him from leaving the UK since being arrested at his home in Manchester in July 2021.

Responding to an inquiry from RÚV, Nazia Dewji, a spokesperson for the Office of the Crown Prosecutor, said that there was no set deadline by which a decision on the matter must be made. Dewji said that the evidence from the police investigation had been received by the prosecutor at the end of January.

In line with UK media convention in cases such as these, the name of the footballer in question has been removed from this news item

» Read the full article at Iceland Review

Reader Comments (23)

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Michael Kenrick
2 Posted 09/02/2023 at 18:01:36
Hmmm… wonder if we're even allowed to talk about this yet? The Icelandic sources cited are beyond UK law but none of the British media have picked this up. Are they still embargoed? Are we thus embargoed?

Yes, it's been more than 18 months for them to put a case together. And the travel ban must have prevented his move to Turkey last summer, I guess, if that was even real.

How long for CPS to make a decision? Probably many months more, I expect. Better shut up now in case I somehow exert undue influence...

Derek Wadeson
3 Posted 09/02/2023 at 18:19:57
Michael,

The Daily Mirror had a short column last week stating an unnamed northwest professional footballer had been detained as described above.

Lyndon Lloyd
4 Posted 09/02/2023 at 18:29:40
How about until another UK-based publication actually names him, we just DON'T name him on these pages?! Jesus wept! Everyone knows who it is so you don't need to.

You ask the question, Michael, after publishing the bloody story! 🤷‍♂️

Jeff Armstrong
5 Posted 09/02/2023 at 18:36:28
And yet your link Iceland review names him!

Or is that just a critique on frozen food?

Will Mabon
6 Posted 09/02/2023 at 18:37:28
Names who??
Paul Carr
7 Posted 09/02/2023 at 19:03:01
We definitely missed him in our midfield last season.
The space in midfield was huge.
Michael Kenrick
8 Posted 09/02/2023 at 20:18:53
You know my opinion on this, Lyndon, it's completely ridiculous, and has no basis in UK law.

And as this website is not even hosted in the UK, why should we care?

Don Alexander
9 Posted 09/02/2023 at 21:15:41
The time the CPS take to make decisions can be very lengthy indeed. Nobody ever explains precisely why.

The time the police take to get a case to them can also be very lengthy indeed and again nobody ever explains precisely why.

Meanwhile the suspect has to endure having his reputation and livelihood publicly ruined, for years sometimes, before the case even reaches a court.

It's all very unsatisfactory to say the least.

Just ask Dave Jones.

Tony Abrahams
10 Posted 09/02/2023 at 21:27:10
Don't throw your toys out the pram, Michael, just listen to the man, who has got the more common-sense, mate!
Neil Copeland
11 Posted 09/02/2023 at 21:32:34
Will #6, ha ha, someone from Iceland or maybe it's Greenland, who knows?
John Pickles
12 Posted 10/02/2023 at 00:15:49
A player who has gone missing from our midfield?

They all have!

Regularly!

Nick Page
13 Posted 10/02/2023 at 00:55:08
Don @9.

The way they treated Dave Jones was an absolute disgrace. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

God knows what he has done but never forget the BBC and the “establishment” knew what Saville was up to.

Trust these fucks at your peril. In everything. The lot of them.

Mark Taylor
14 Posted 10/02/2023 at 01:45:00
Some should have been caught faster (Saville, Gliiter) some should have not been pursued at all (Jones, Richard, Brittan, Proctor) but no-one deserves to have the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head for 18 months or more.

It just doesn't take that long unless you can't be arsed to investigate a serious allegation in a timely and professional manner, with due regard to all parties. Even more so if you're high profile and a work suspension makes it pretty obvious who you are. Really at that point, you're toast even if innocent...

Kieran Kinsella
15 Posted 10/02/2023 at 02:13:52
Nick & Mark,

I don't understand how the BBC had no issue showing the police raiding Cliff Richard's home.

Mike Gaynes
16 Posted 10/02/2023 at 02:23:25
Kieran, didn't Cliff Richard pull the BBC into court and win a settlement?
Eric Myles
17 Posted 10/02/2023 at 03:53:11
If there's ultimately no prosecution brought, would he be able to sue the CPS for loss of earnings?
Steve Hopkins
18 Posted 10/02/2023 at 09:04:36
Does anyone know or could make an educated guess as to whether we suspended him with our without pay?

A really sorry story whichever angle you look at it from.

Eric Myles
19 Posted 10/02/2023 at 12:34:24
Educated guess, Steve #18, with pay.

He has not been charged with anything so, if the Club don't want to attract publicity, then they have to pay him to stay away.

Ian Jones
20 Posted 10/02/2023 at 13:18:59
He's a free agent at the moment... could be a useful squad addition if charges are dropped.
Paul Melling
21 Posted 13/02/2023 at 12:58:58
We all know who the player in question is and he is still innocent until proven guilty. It has taken an eternity for the police to try and gather enough evidence to prosecute the guy and it seems unlikely that they will ever will.

Don't get me wrong, if he is guilty then he deserves whatever sentence that gets handed down to him but it seems unlikely after so long. Presumably the player will then want to vigorously take up the issue with the CPS.

Another issue that Everton will need to vigorously explore (should the charges be dropped) is the huge issue of the club having paid his wages for the remainder of his contract whilst the player wasn't able to play football. We have no doubt paid out millions in wages and we surely must be within our rights to legally challenge the CPS to get our money back in the event of a dropped case.

Jeff Armstrong
22 Posted 14/04/2023 at 15:22:38
Probably a lot more complicated than we will ever know.
Brendan McLaughlin
23 Posted 14/04/2023 at 15:58:01
Alan #27,

Perhaps Everton were simply acting in the player's best interests.

It's possible that the player concerned quite naturally didn't want to appear in front of large, vocal and often very hostile crowds once the allegations were made public.

Matthew Johnson
24 Posted 14/04/2023 at 16:02:18
What a sorry episode. I can only assume he had no case to answer based on CPS not pursuing the case further.

Why has it taken so long? It's basically robbed him of the best years of his career and significant earnings. What happens now? Does he have redress with the Police or Everton or does he just have to suck it up, buttercup?

If I was him and I'd done nothing wrong legally, I'd be rightly aggrieved.

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