Newcastle United striker Nile Ranger has been arrested on suspicion of rape, according to various sources and the
Huffington Post. The 21-year old Premier League star was held by Northumbria Police after a woman came forward with allegations that she was attacked at a hotel in Jesmond, Newcastle between Wednesday and Thursday. A police spokeswoman said:
"On Thursday January 24 a woman reported to police that she had been raped overnight at a hotel in Jesmond. "A 21-year-old man has been arrested at an address in Forest Hall on suspicion of rape."
Nile Ranger is on the fringes of the Newcastle squad at present and has only completed eight minutes of Premier League football this season. He began his career with Crystal Palace as a youth-team player before moving to Southampton in 2007. He joined Newcastle a year later and has made 51 overall appearances for the senior side, in between loan spells at Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday. He has also made 11 appearances for the England Under-19 side and scored 6 goals. He angered Newcastle fans at the weekend however by criticising them for booing the team after their 2-1 Premier League loss to fellow relegation rivals Reading. He caused further controversy by apparently spelling out his name in £20 notes and posting the photograph online. Newcastle have declined to comment on the allegations.