A former England cricketer is being investigated by police over an allegation of sexual assault and claims two women had their drinks spiked at a London pub co-owned by a group of current and former sport stars.
In a statement released to the Daily Telegraph on Friday, the Metropolitan police confirmed that officers interviewed a man in his 40s in June after it received a complaint about an alleged spiking and assault.
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“Two women are believed to have been spiked with one also allegedly sexually assaulted,” the statement read. “A man in his 40s was interviewed under caution on Thursday, June 5. Enquiries remain ongoing and no arrests have been made at this stage.”
The alleged spiking is understood to have taken place at a cricket-themed pub in Chelsea, The Boundary, which is co-owned by England cricket’s head coach, Brendon McCullum and white ball batter Jos Buttler, among other members of the England set-up. World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan, former one-day international batter Sam Billings, ex-South Africa captain Graeme Smith and Ireland cricketer Paul Stirling are also shareholders, as is England and British Lions rugby union hooker Jamie George.
None of the sports star owners were present at the time of the alleged incident, which was said to have taken place on the first day of England’s one-off Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge on 22 May. Due to the pub’s ownership, the England and Wales Cricket Board has been aware of the allegations for some time. When contacted by the Guardian it declined to comment.
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The Boundary opened in March and has quickly gained a reputation for attracting current and former cricketers for late-night drinks this summer. While not directly involved, the incident may invite awkward questions for the ECB, particularly ahead of this winter’s Ashes tour.
English cricket has been troubled by numerous cases of sexual misconduct in recent years. An unnamed former county coach was suspended from the sport for nine months in August after admitting to sending sexually explicit pictures to two female junior members of staff.
After being found guilty by the ECB’s independent Cricket Discipline Panel, his name was redacted on the grounds there would be a “serious risk of harm” if his identity were made public.
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The coach had admitted to five charges of professional misconduct, including sending explicit images to two colleagues, with the panel noting that one of the women “was much younger” and “he occupied a far more senior position than she did” at the club.
In November last year a professional coach was suspended for six months for “inappropriate sexual behaviour” on a pre-season tour for an unnamed men’s and women’s county team.
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