Former England striker Andy Carroll faces a possible jail sentence after being charged with breaching a non-molestation order. The ex-Liverpool and Newcastle United player is due in court on Tuesday.
Details of the case cannot be revealed for legal reasons. According to The Sun, Carroll was arrested in April, with the alleged offence said to have been committed a month earlier.
Reports emerged in July that an unnamed former Premier League footballer was arrested at an airport in front of other passengers after flying into the UK. Now that he has been charged and named by the police, it can be revealed that it was Andy Carroll.
The 36-year-old was detained shortly after arriving on a flight from France at Stansted. Speaking this week, Essex Police said: “A man has been charged with breaching a non-molestation order.
“Andrew Carroll, 36, of Epping, was arrested on April 27 and the alleged offences relate to an incident in March. He is due to appear at Chelmsford magistrates’ court on December 30.”
A non-molestation order is an injunction issued by a civil court, usually aimed at preventing a person from approaching, contacting, or being near another individual, their address, or both. People who breach one, depending on the circumstances, can face criminal action resulting in a jail term of up to five years.
Speaking to the Sun at the time of Carroll’s arrest, a source said: “It seemed as if an issue was flagged up to the Border Force officers at passport control at Stansted, which led to police being called. He was questioned and taken away. It caused quite a kerfuffle as there were lots of other passengers around where he was arrested.”
Carroll has had an up-and-down career in football since emerging at Newcastle before being signed for Liverpool for around £35million in 2011. The move didn’t work out as he netted just 11 times in 58 appearances before joining West Ham.
He later moved down the divisions with West Brom and Reading in the Championship before moving to French second division side Amiens.
Carroll would spend just over a season there before joining Bordeaux after their relegation to the fourth tier. He was a hit in his brief spell with the club and scored 11 times from 23 games last season.
He currently plays for Dagenham and Redbridge in the National League South. Carroll joined them in July on a free transfer following his exit from Bordeaux earlier in the summer, signing a three-year deal.