Police pursue probe into Premiership rape claim

Police pursued their investigation into claims by a 17-year- old girl that she was raped and sexually assaulted by a group of English Premiership football players in a chic London hotel.

In a terse statement, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that the allegations -- made on Saturday, the day the alleged rape took place -- "concern more than one suspect", but added that no arrests have been made.

"Searches at the central London venue (where the rape allegedly took place) are now complete and, as is routine, we are not prepared to discuss what we may or may not have found," it said.

"We are in liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service and this will continue throughout the remainder of the investigation," it added.

Several news media identified the venue as the Grosvenor House hotel on Park Lane, on the east side of Hyde Park.

According to news reports, the teenager told police that she consented to sex at the hotel with one Premiership player, but added that seven others -- from a different club -- then joined in and forced themselves on her.

The Sun newspaper, which broke the story on Monday, said the players could not be named for legal reasons.

But it added that they were all instantly recognisable stars and that one also played for an international side.

Premiership matches which took place in London over the weekend involved Arsenal and Newcastle on Friday, Chelsea and Aston Villa on Saturday and Charlton against Liverpool on Sunday.