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Mason Greenwood, 2021
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Rui Vieira / dpa
After more than a year, the British judiciary has dropped the investigation into footballer Mason Greenwood from Manchester United.
The charges, which included attempted rape and assault, would not be pursued further, police said in Manchester on Thursday.
The decision was not easy.
Prosecutors at the Crown Prosecution Service said, "In this case, a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant that there was no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction."
Greenwood's girlfriend at the time published photos and sound recordings on Instagram at the end of January 2022.
It showed some bleeding injuries and bruises on the young woman's body and apparently Greenwood also heard how the Red Devils' up-and-coming star wants to force his partner to engage in sexual activity.
The postings were later deleted.
Manchester United want to investigate the case themselves
The 21-year-old midfielder was first arrested in January 2022.
Manchester United suspended Greenwood shortly after the allegations against him became public.
Since then he has not been allowed to play or train with the English football champions.
Even when Greenwood was released on bail in the meantime, he remained excluded from team activities.
Nothing will change about that for the time being, United said in a statement.
“The club will now conduct its own process before deciding on the next steps.
We will not make any further comments until this process is complete," the club said.
Until then, Greenwood should not be allowed to train or play again, as the BBC wrote.
Police said they would continue to investigate allegations of violence against women and girls and called on victims to come forward to the authorities.
kjo/dpa/sid