Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy will appear in a UK courtroom on Monday for a retrial on two alleged sexual offences. This comes five months after he was cleared of multiple other counts by a previous jury. Mendy, 28, will stand trial at Chester Crown Court in northwest England, facing one charge of rape and one of attempted rape.
In the previous trial, which concluded in January, the jury was unable to reach verdicts on the two charges involving two different women. While Mendy was acquitted of six other counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against four women during the six-month trial, the judge set a new trial date for the two unresolved charges.
Mendy, whose contract with Manchester City is set to expire at the end of this month and is reportedly not expected to be renewed, has consistently denied all the charges brought against him. When the not guilty verdicts were announced in January, Mendy reacted by covering his face with both hands and gently rocking back and forth.
Mendy’s lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, expressed his satisfaction with the acquittal of most of the charges and stated his intention to clear his name in relation to the remaining two charges. Mendy hopes to move forward and rebuild his life.
Accused alongside Mendy was Louis Saha Matturie, 41, who was acquitted of three counts of rape relating to two teenagers. However, the jury was unable to reach verdicts on three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against Matturie by five other women. Matturie will face a separate retrial later this year.
During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Mendy was a sexual “predator” who engaged in non-consensual sexual activities with young women brought to parties at his luxury home, facilitated by Matturie. Mendy and Matturie both denied these allegations, maintaining that any sexual encounters they had were consensual.
Mendy joined Manchester City in 2017 from French club Monaco. Although he has played 75 times for the team, his playing time has been hampered by injuries and a decline in performance. Mendy last played on August 15, 2021, just before he faced initial charges of four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. His last international appearance for France was in November 2019, following his victory in the 2018 World Cup as part of the French national team.
SOURCE: Ref Image from Arise news
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