LONDON, CMC – Guyana international footballer Callum Harriott, who is accused of raping a woman in England while she slept, is set to deny the charge when he stands trial next year, a court was told.
Harriott, 27, who was released by English League Two club Colchester United at the end of last season after two years with the Essex club, is charged with carrying out an attack on a woman he met on a night out in Colchester in November 2019.
At Ipswich Crown Court on Friday, his barrister Sasha Wass QC said an application would be made to dismiss the charge against Harriott, a winger, who is currently unemployed in England. He was released by the court on unconditional bail.
UK-born Harriott made his debut for Guyana in 2019 and has scored one goal – against Aruba – but he was missing from the line-up when the Jaguars bowed out of this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers after losing 4-0 to Guatemala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last month.
A court hearing was set for legal arguments on November 26.
While Harriott, who scored 12 goals in 64 appearances for Colchester before he left the club in May, did not enter a plea to a single charge of rape, Wass said he would deny the allegation.
She said Harriott’s legal team wanted to proceed with the case as soon as possible owing to “the nature of the case and the position of the defendant”.
“He is unable to work until the matter is resolved,” she said.
Judge David Pugh told Harriott, whose previous English clubs included Charltton Athletic and Reading: “That is similar to a lot of people in his position facing this kind of charge.”
A trial date was set for August 22 next year.
Addressing Harriott, Judge Pugh said: “At the trial you will have the right to give evidence, I’m going to release you on bail – that is unconditional.
“Let me just give you two warnings. If you fail to attend court at any time you are required to attend court, that in itself is an offence which may carry a sentence of imprisonment.”
At a previous hearing at Colchester Magistrates’ Court, Katharine Houghton, prosecuting, said the complainant had been put to bed on the night in question as she was intoxicated.
“She woke to find the suspect having sex with her,” she said.
