Keven Appo
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 9 January 1999 Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (15 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Lock, Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 3 January 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Keven Appo (born 9 January 1999) is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer who last played as a second-row and lock for the Bradford Bulls[2] in the RFL Championship and Papua New Guinea at international level.[3]
Career
Appo made his international debut for Papua New Guinea in their 24-18 loss to Tonga in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[4]
Sexual offence charges
On 3 January 2025 Bradford Bulls terminated Appo's contract with immediate effect after West Yorkshire Police announced that Appo had been charged with a number of sexual offences, including rape.[5] A club statement said: “Following today’s West Yorkshire Police statement, the Bradford Bulls have cancelled Keven Appo’s playing contract. Given the circumstances, the club is duty bound to make no further comment at this stage. The search for a suitable, quality replacement is underway.”.[6]
Appo was due to appear in court on 6 January 2025, but failed to do so. The court was told that Appo had been released on conditional bail on 26 November 2024 but within hours of his release he left the country and returned to Papua New Guinea via Dubai.[7] The court issued a warrant for Appo's arrest. The Crown Prosecution Service and the police are seeking Appo's extradition from Papua New Guinea.[8]
The following day Appo released a statement saying he denied all the allegations and that they "are false accusations/allegations based on personal gain/interest." The statement also said that he had not been sacked by Bradford, but had been released from his contract by mutual consent after he requested to leave.[8]
References
- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ "Bradford Bulls - Rugby League Championship".
- ^ "Official Hostplus Cup profile of Keven Appo for Papua New Guinea Hunters | QRL". qrl.com.au. 19 October 2022. Archived 19 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Tonga leave it late to down Kumuls in World Cup thriller". 18 October 2022.
- ^ "Appo sees contract terminated by Bulls after being charged with rape". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 3 January 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ Callum Walker (3 January 2025). "Bradford Bulls terminate Keven Appo's contract following police statement". Total RL.
- ^ "Ex-Bradford Bulls player Keven Appo charged with rape flees UK". BBC News. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b Walker, Callum (7 January 2025). "Keven Appo breaks silence following sexual offences charges and Bradford Bulls contract termination – Total Rugby League". Total RL. Retrieved 7 January 2025.