Source: Team_Talk
Bramble arrested over rape allegation
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has pledged the club's full support to Titus Bramble after the defender was arrested on suspicion of rape.[LNB] The 29-year-old and his brother Tesfaye, 30, were detained after the alleged rape of a young woman at a Newcastle city centre hotel was reported to police in the early hours of this morning.[LNB]Quinn revealed Bramble "strenuously denies any wrong-doing" and will fight to clear his name.[LNB]"This has been a very difficult day for everyone at the football club, no one more so than Titus, who categorically refutes the allegations that have been made against him," Quinn said in a statement.[LNB]"He strenuously denies any wrong-doing and will be doing everything within his power to clear his name.[LNB]"I, as chairman, and the club as a whole, totally support Titus in his efforts and we all hope for a swift conclusion to this matter."[LNB]It is believed the alleged rape happened at the four-star Vermont Hotel, which has an entrance close to bars and nightclubs on Newcastle's quayside.[LNB]A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "Police received a report of a rape of a woman at a city centre hotel in Newcastle in the early hours.[LNB]"Two men, aged 29 and 30, have been arrested on suspicion of rape."[LNB]Bramble, a former England Under-21 player, was signed by Sunderland manager Steve Bruce from Wigan for a fee thought to be around £1million in the summer.[LNB]His brother Tesfaye, who has played international football for Montserrat, a British island in the Caribbean, is a striker for Eastern Counties League Premier Division club Leiston, in Suffolk.[LNB]A spokesman for Bramble's solicitor Mark Haslam refused to comment, as did hotel staff.
