Bez Lubala trial: Blackpool FC footballer sobs in court as he stands accused of raping teenager

A professional footballer accused of rape broke down in tears as he told a jury he worked in a warehouse when his club suspended him.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Blackpool forward Beryly Lubala said he was expecting his first child when he received a letter telling him he had been charged with rape.

The player said his agent told the club and he was immediately suspended.

Read More
Bez Lubala trial: Woman accusing Blackpool footballer of rape says "I'm not a li...
Lubala cried in court as he told of how he had work in an Amazon warehouse after being suspended from the fieldLubala cried in court as he told of how he had work in an Amazon warehouse after being suspended from the field
Lubala cried in court as he told of how he had work in an Amazon warehouse after being suspended from the field
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He was not charged until January 2021 after he had already started playing first team football for his new club.

Lubala, now 24, broke down as he told how he did not know if he would still be paid after the club suspended him.

"The CEO said to me 'you are suspended for two weeks'.

"I didn't know what was going on.

"I didn't know if I was going to get paid any more.

"At this point, my missus was pregnant with my baby.

Blackpool footballer Bez Lubala appears in court accused of raping teenager"I just didn't know what to do," the player sobbed.

"I went to work at Amazon, packing bags in an Amazon warehouse.

"I did a delivery job.

"At Blackpool I was getting £1,800-a-week.

"That was enough to help my mum and my brother and sisters.

"When it happened, I didn't know what to do."

The player said the club wanted to terminate his contract.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The player told a court in Brighton he had been helped by the PFA to settle his contract with Blackpool.

He returned to training with the first team with conditions and a chaperone.

Lubala was arrested when a young woman went to police two weeks after she says he raped her at his home in Horsham, West Sussex.

Police arrested the player the same day and he spent a night in the cells before being interviewed.

Beryly Lubala, who lives in Lytham, denies rape.

The trial at Lewes Crown Court in Brighton continues.