Man United star Mason Greenwood has been cleared of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm a year after the young sensation was arrested.
Manchester United fans went berserk after young star Mason Greenwood was cleared of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Thursday. The 21-year-old forward was charged in October 2022, but this afternoon a decision was made to discontinue prosecution in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood had faced allegations of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault; Greenwood has now had all charges against him dropped. pic.twitter.com/EcyboavAX1
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews)A CPS spokesperson said, "We have a duty to keep cases under continuous review. In 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. In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case."
"We have explained our decision to all parties. We would always encourage any potential victims to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met," the spokesperson added.
From November 2018 to October 2021, Greenwood was accused of committing crimes involving the same woman. He had appeared in Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court in November while being accompanied by family members and wearing a dark suit and hoodie.
Greenwood removed the hoodie when he appeared in the dock to confirm his name and age for the brief five-minute hearing but did not enter a plea. At the time, Jason Pitter KC, the prosecutor, had acknowledged that it needed to be carefully considered before the case could move forward.
On Thursday, Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr, GMP's Head of Public Protection, said, "Given the significant media coverage of this case, it is only fair that we share the news that the 21-year-old man, who had been arrested and charged in connection with an investigation opened in January 2022, no longer faces criminal proceedings in relation to this."
"The 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," Kerr added.
"Despite the media and public's interest in this case, we have decided not to comment on it in any further detail. I would, however, like to use this opportunity to reiterate GMP's commitment to investigating allegations of violence against women and girls and supporting those affected, regardless of their circumstances, throughout what can be a hard and upsetting time for them. An ever increasing number of officers are receiving specialist training and the force is more consistently utilising tools, available via the criminal justice system, to keep people safe and care for victims. If you feel you are or might be a victim, please don't let this case put you off asking for help," Kerr concluded.
A meme fest exploded on Twitter after news of all charges against Greenwood had been dropped. Here's a look at how Man United fans reacted on the micro-blogging site:
Lmao
These guys turn off the comments https://t.co/KKERuiMjUL pic.twitter.com/KqkrOybcqd
They knew 😂 https://t.co/lZ8ytfCW3G pic.twitter.com/ccXxKVyuRa
— _Anonymus (@Mimi_anonymus)Ten Hag cookin https://t.co/8wECOPsr06 pic.twitter.com/O8FcJE9Kyk
— 🐺 (@7aviiii)Same for Partey? https://t.co/7kQi544qmf pic.twitter.com/GIirRyivSC
— Craig Arnott (@C_Arnott14)Girls in Manchester planning a weekend out https://t.co/MPfnXdRUig pic.twitter.com/T6K3eseptO
— Gareth Mac 🏴🇬🇧🏴 (@mac1882thfc)Nigeria twitter after Greenwood charges have been dropped pic.twitter.com/zPMUbMNyBM https://t.co/YOdnbykkhs
— ¿ (@_Biilee_)His lawyer https://t.co/Ie9o27n9Yd pic.twitter.com/ubWM9JYxnL
— - (@14UCLz)ETH at Carrington tomorrow 😂 https://t.co/FIDnFdTkwQ pic.twitter.com/BWj0b0sYEo
— FPL Viking ❌ (@FPLviKing_)Utd fans on his returnpic.twitter.com/fNlThXLqmn https://t.co/axO8AjyJtI
— Zubz (@certizubz)Of course he has…….. wonder why.??
Only have to listen to that recording of the poor lass he attacked.!!! Scumbag. https://t.co/IRf4mHnyym pic.twitter.com/owTjRWa2H4
And people wonder why footballers have a god complex https://t.co/wtLxelGllv pic.twitter.com/9XOzhpEy7Q
— Adam Copley (@Adam_coppers98)Friendly reminder to anyone who thinks of supporting Mason Greenwood that charges dropped does not equal innocent. The evidence is clear. pic.twitter.com/U8wgqyVcEx
— Daniel (@MannixKnows)Benjamin Mendy and Mason Greenwood in the next Manchester derby pic.twitter.com/qK7FadLdQ3
— 🇪🇸 (@AbdeGOAT)Ten Hag introducing Greenwood into first team training pic.twitter.com/JzdIVcguWL
— SQ (@__SQ____)Nigerian twitter when they hear Mason Greenwood got dropped of all charges pic.twitter.com/wu15aNE0Lz
— J 4 C K 💫 (@BACKWARDSRDJ)Don’t know how I feel about this. On one hand I wouldn’t want this story to tarnish the clubs reputation (if he’s innocent or if he’s guilty) but then on the other hand, if the police had any solid evidence, they’d charge him and wouldn’t care if she wanted to drop charges. https://t.co/4Whdq6zh3c
— Dan Sendell🔰 (@DSendell16)i think the best thing here to do would be to sell the player out of england. for a number of reasons, his days in a united kit need to be over with. https://t.co/BrZIJspXfK
— Tej Sahota (@boatical)doubt he will ever get back to level he was on https://t.co/SNSSW4JQuH
— Sixtus The lll (@HoseMajanga)We all heard the recordings and saw the pictures. He should never play for Manchester United again. https://t.co/l6KDSmsLKR
— Grant Thomas (@GrantTKennedy)European fans will never accept him. He should go to Saudi or China and sign a 10-year $100 million contact https://t.co/9VzSGxiGnf
— Hao fuwei (@haofuwei)Absolute disgrace just because of who he is he gets away with it. Don’t want him any where near United. https://t.co/4Q6hfmEM4W
— Daniel (@d_loughins)The Mason is back ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/jzZ2obgcw4
— meek milly (@iyusufadeyinka)Mason Greenwood should never be allowed to step foot in our club ever again. https://t.co/yW4lt0pRfN
— Suki (@suki_b)Controversial. Part of me is happy as bug admirer of him who would be gutted if such talent end early. Part of me still thinking about the video. In the end hope the right decision was made. https://t.co/NI2lJT7XsE
— Ten Hag Cooking Recipes (@50BOC)Oh wow ok then. Idk if he’s innocent or not, from that audio its most likely he’s not, but now its interesting to see how United will proceed. Will they welcome him back, or are they going to end his contract? But this is a weird situation for sure. https://t.co/a0WasYWhOj
— A J (@aljohn96)