Footballer Ravel Morrison cleared of threatening to throw acid in his ex-girlfriend’s face

A harassment charge against the former Manchester United player has been dropped by the CPS

File: Ravel Morrison arriving at Manchester Crown Court in August (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

The former Manchester United footballer Ravel Morrison has been cleared of allegations he harassed his former girlfriend including threatening to kill her and throw acid in her face.

The England Under-21 international, who is currently on loan at Cardiff City from West Ham United, was accused of making the threats against Reah Mansoor house as part of a campaign of harassment that, it was alleged, lasted from January 2010 to July this year.

But the Crown Prosecution Service has now formally withdrawn the allegation, and a verdict of not guilty was recorded today during a hearing at Manchester Crown Court which the footballer attended.

Morrison, 21, will still stand trial in Manchester from 26 January for three remaining charges for allegedly attacking 19-year-old Ms Mansoor and her mother, 39-year-old Parveen Mansoor, in the early hours of 24 July this year.

At a preliminary hearing in August, the footballer denied the harassment charge as well as the two counts of assault by beating and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Morrison, originally from Manchester, has been banned from entering the city as part of his bail conditions – except for when he is required to play there in a professional capacity. He is also required to live at an address in Cardiff and have no contact with either of the two complainants.

Despite being touted as a bright prospect at Old Trafford, Morrison appeared only in the League Cup before Sir Alex Ferguson sold him to West Ham for £650,000 in January 2012.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce later sent him out on loan to Birmingham and QPR, before he signed for Championship club Cardiff on a three-month loan deal.