Convicted footballers: 6 Arsenal players who have served time in prison

Arsenal have had their fair share of miscreants in the past, many of whom went too far and landed themselves in jail.

Throughout the years, the Gunners have seen a number of players incarcerated for a wide range of crimes, some of whom went on to achieve greatness in football. Many others, however, faded away into obscurity.

There are big-name players who have spent time behind bars and are regarded as Arsenal legends, while others could have been great players if not for their criminal activity.

Dishonourable mentions

Graham Rix was jailed in 1999 after being found guilty of unlawful sex with a 15-year-old girl and indecently assaulting her. The then-41-year-old coach was told by the judge he would be released after serving half his sentence for good behaviour but would remain on the sex offenders register for 10 years. He started his career at Arsenal and went on to make over 350 appearances.

James Purcell was jailed in 2011 after admitted causing grievous bodily harm. He was an Arsenal coach who worked with disabled children and was allegedly drunk and high on cocaine when he and Katie Bonnick attacked cyclist Abdul Hossini. Purcell broke Mr Hossini’s jaw, cheekbone and caused skull fractures. He was jailed for 30 months.

#1 Peter Storey

Peter Storey was jailed for three years for conspiracy to produce counterfeit money, but his time at Wandsworth and Spring Hill was one of many occasions that he was incarcerated after his playing career came to an end.

Prior to being jailed, he set up a brothel (Calypso Massage Parlour) – while on bail - to raise money to flee to Spain to avoid his trial. He was arrested and pleaded guilty, to which he was handed a £700 fine and a six-month suspended sentence.

Storey failed to turn up to his own bankruptcy hearings and was jailed for contempt of court. His conspiracy trial would later follow and he was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

In 1990, he was jailed for nearly a month for attempting to import pornography from Europe which was hidden in a spare tyre. It’s clear he had no intention of reforming his character as he returned to jail time and again. Storey made over 390 appearances for Arsenal between 1962 and 1977.

#2 Tony Adams

Tony Adams is a well-known Arsenal legend who has been sent to jail, having had issues with alcoholism throughout his playing career. The centre-back was incarcerated in 1990 for drink-driving, spending 57 days behind bars.

Adams was found to be four times over the limit when pulled over and checked and served half his sentence before returning to Arsenal. He was critical of the prison’s treatment, however, saying they gave no indication of how he could be rehabilitated and didn’t really provide much of a punishment.

The England defender spent his entire career with the Gunners, making over appearances between 1983 and 2002. He’s undergone therapy for his alcoholism and revealed he would have been sacked by Arsenal if he didn’t recover.

Adams has given up a lot of time to raising awareness for alcoholism and founded clinic Sporting Chance - a residential clinic that exclusively treats current and former professional sportspeople.

While many people fail to learn from their issues in the past, Adams has certainly grown and wants to do the utmost he can to prevent fellow sporting athletes follow down the same path.

#3 Ian Wright

Ian Wright might be a surprising addition to the list given his good reputation, but the former Gunner spent two weeks in Chelmsford prison after failing to pay a fine for driving without a license, tax or insurance. He was yet to turn professional at Arsenal and had no money to his name, but he was eventually found out and did a short sentence in the early 90s.

There was a silver lining to the incident, however, and that was Wright turning his life around from that point. The English forward vowed not to return to prison and worked hard to become an Arsenal legend. He would go on to become their all-time top goalscorer before Thierry Henry surpassed him.

Wright made over 280 appearances for Arsenal and is regarded as a legend by the supporters. By his own admission, he’s made his fair share of mistakes during his playing days, but he certainly learned from his fortnight stint in HMP Chelmsford.

#4 Jermaine Pennant

Jermaine Pennant was jailed for 90 days for drink-driving in 2005 after crashing into a lamppost in Aylesbury, Bucks. He admitted the charge and of driving while disqualified and having no insurance at a hearing at Aylesbury Magistrates' Court and served 30 days behind days. Police reportedly stopped him outside a Leicester centre at 6am where his car was dragging a lamp post.

At the time, Pennant was said to have glazed eyes, stunk of alcohol and was slurring his speech. The ex-Arsenal winger gave a false name to police when stopped. He would go on to be convicted of drink-driving again years later too, being handed a suspended sentence in 2012 – his third conviction in eight years.

He made a total of 26 appearances for Arsenal between 1999 and 2005 and was eventually moved on at the end of his contract with the Gunners. His career wavered ever since with stints at Birmingham, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Real Zaragoza, Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, FC Pune City, Wigan Athletic, Tampines Rovers and Bury, before a short spell at Billericay ended in February 2018.

#5 Marcus Artry

Marcus Artry won’t be well-known but his crimes were certainly the worst of the bunch. The ex-midfielder was sentenced to nine years in jail in 2003 for a string of group sex attacks on women and underage girls between March 2002 and February 2003.

He allegedly took part in three assaults, one of which included him dragging a 14-year-old screaming victim into a public toilet, telling her she was going to lose her virginity. The victim was threatened with assault if she went to the police.

Unsurprisingly, his football career was over and he’s been in relative obscurity ever since. Artry is certainly the worst offender on the list and could have no qualms about the sentence handed to him. He was an Arsenal youth player, seemingly with the world at his feet, before he took part in horrific crimes against women and underage girls.

His career was over before he even became a professional. Artry didn’t serve the full nine year sentence and attempted to break into MMA after his release from prison, but his online record suggests he only had one fight back in 2010 that he lost.

#6 Christian Toonga

Toonga was jailed in 2017 for drug-dealing. He was another youth player who never made it professional at Arsenal. The then-19-year-old was given a two-and-a-half-year sentence after selling heroin and cocaine for a gang of dealers. He claimed he was pressured into it by a gang.

Police raided a Sherborne property in 2016 where they arrested Toonga. He was caught with cocaine, heroin, £700 and mobile phones with text messages that 'demonstrated his considerable involvement.'

Despite his pleas that he was a victim, the prosecution argued he was a willing participant of ‘cuckooing’ which saw gangs set up shop in the homes of vulnerable people. He admitted to possessing with intent to supply class A drugs and was charged with failing to surrender to police after he was bailed.

Toonga joined Arsenal when he was eight years old, but he left the club for Southampton in 2013/14 before joining Cardiff City a year later. He made a handful of appearances for AFC Wimbledon before his arrest and is expected to be released in 2019.