Chelsea’s Brazilian winger, Lucas Piazon has had the sexual assault charges placed upon him dropped as confirmed by The Guardian.
A warrant was issued for the 22-year-old winger, who’s currently on loan at Reading, and a teammate after allegations were made following the Pan-Am Games in Canada last year.
However, the charges were dropped on Tuesday with Piazon’s counsel saying that the Brazillian had been unfairly tarnished. The news means that he can now forget any risk of going to jail and instead concentrate on his football.
After the charges were dropped, Piazon’s lawyers Brian Greenspan and Robin McKechney said in a statement:
The decision to withdraw the charge – on the basis that there was no reasonable prospect of conviction – reflects the thorough and professional examination of this matter by senior and experienced Crown prosecutors. The Crown’s guidance had been sought – but clearly ignored – by the police prior to their October press conference.
It is both regrettable and unacceptable that the police chose to disregard the balanced and fair-minded assessment made by the Crown, and to defiantly proceed to announce charges when the conclusion had been reached that the evidence could not justify a trial.
This season Piazon has been a decent success for Reading, having made eight appearances and scored twice. While he has not got onto the field as much as he would have liked, this weight being lifted from his shoulders may seem feature in the first team again when Reading face Walsall in the FA Cup on Saturday.
