Picture Credit: Manchester City
Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been charged with another count of rape. The 27-year-old is now charged with eight count of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape after a new complainant came forward. The French international had pleaded not guilty last month to all but the latest charge, which has not yet been put to him.
The media was banned from publishing the latest charge, but the restriction was lifted by judge Steven Everett during a hearing at Chester Crown Court in northwest England on Wednesday. All the alleged offences have supposedly taken place at Mendy’s home address near Macclesfield, northwest England, between October 2018 and August last year.
Mendy, from Prestbury in Cheshire, will go on trial on 25 July along with his co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, who has also entered not guilty pleas. Louis Saha Matturie, of Eccles, Salford, and former Manchester United player denied the eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault, relating to eight young women, between July 2012 and August 2021. Both men remain on bail ahead of the trial next month.
Benjamin Mendy has made 50 Premier League appearances for Manchester City since joining the team from AS Monaco in 2017 at a then-record transfer fee for a defender in the region of £52 million. He has made 10 international appearances for France. He also suffered injuries that limited his playing time as he underwent knee surgery in the 2018-19 season. Then on 26 August 2021, Mendy was suspended by the club after being charged by the Manchester Police.
In a statement, the club said, “Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin Mendy has been suspended pending an investigation. The matter is subject to a legal process and the club is, therefore, unable to make further comment until that process is complete.”
Similarly, the police spokesman also released a statement that said, "Cheshire Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service would like to remind everyone that criminal proceedings against Mendy are live and that he has a right to a fair trial."