Quinn backs Bramble after ‘rape’ claims

SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn has pledged the club’s full support to Titus Bramble after the defender was arrested on suspicion of rape yesterday.

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 yesterday morning.

Quinn revealed Bramble “strenuously denies any wrong-doing” and will fight to clear his name.

“This has been a very difficult day for everyone at the club, no one more so than Titus, who categorically refutes the allegations that have been made against him,” Quinn said in a statement.

“He strenuously denies any wrong-doing and will be doing everything within his power to clear his name. 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.”

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.

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. Two men, aged 29 and 30, have been arrested on suspicion of rape.”

Bramble, a former England U-21 player, was signed by Sunderland manager Steve Bruce from Wigan for a fee thought to be around £1million in the summer.

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.

A spokesman for Bramble’s solicitor Mark Haslam refused to comment, as did hotel staff.