A professional footballer accused of rape broke down in tears as he told a jury he worked in an Amazon warehouse when his club suspended him from his £1,800-a-week job.
Blackpool forward Beryly Luba claimed that he was about to have his first child and received a note informing him of his conviction for rape.
A player claimed that his agent had told him about the club. Then he was suspended immediately and started work for Amazon, packing orders. After this, he took a job as a driver.
Blackpool’s forward Beryly Lubala, 24, was accused in an alleged attack on the 18-year old girl. She allegedly grabbed her by the hair and told her to stop making noises.
After moving to Crawley Town in September 2019, the striker attracted attention of Premier League and Championship scouts. A year later, he signed for Championship side Blackpool.
Lubala was arrested in September 2019 a year before his transfer from Crawley Town FC to Blackpool for £300,000.
After he’d already played first team for the new club, he was not charged.
Lubala (now 24) broke down when he revealed that he didn’t know whether he would be still paid even though the club had suspended him.
According to the court, he was a recent arrival in Crawley from Birmingham City. The woman (18) began liking his Instagram posts.
Lubala told police he messaged the woman and suggested she came over to his hotel room where they could ‘Netflix and chill’.
In an interview, he stated that they had had sex two times but on the night of the allegation, he decided not to want intercourse because he was playing football and needed the energy.
The woman is said to have once sent him a photo of her nude showing her latest tattoo.
Brighton Law Courts is the location of the trial, which will be held in one of three places used by Lewes Crown Court.
According to the woman, he grabbed her hair before telling her to keep silent and “be a good boy” before she was raped at her home in September 2019 after a series of sexual encounters.
Lubala stated that the women arrived after Lubala had had sex. When he got back to his bathroom, she changed and told him she needed to go home because she was going to be late for work the next day.
When asked about his arrest, he said: “It all shocks me.”
I have nothing against her personality. She was kind and helpful with me, I believed.
“The term rape is a shock. She knows that I am not like her. My football career is bringing me great joy. My family had recently moved from Crawley.
“My football career was progressing well. It’s surprising to me that this happened from someone who I considered a pleasant person.
I really don’t know what to do. [know why she has accused me]. That’s all I know. This can’t have been from any of my actions. I have no idea why she chose to do this. “I don’t really know.”
Blackpool placed Lubala under suspension after his arrest in relation to alleged rape
He said, “The CEO told me that you are being suspended for two more weeks.”
“I had no idea what was going on.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was going get paid more.”
“At that point my mistress was pregnant with our baby.
The player sobbed, “I didn’t know how to proceed.”
“I started working at Amazon as a bag packer in an Amazon warehouse.
“I delivered a job.
‘At Blackpool I was getting £1,800-a-week.
“It was enough for my mom and my sister and brother to be helped.
“When it happened, there was no way to know what I should do.”
According to the player, the club wants him to end his contract.
According to the court, the PFA helped him settle his Blackpool contract.
With conditions and a chaperone, he returned to training.
Lubala denied raping the woman.
Lewes Crown Court is continuing the trial.