Benjamin Mendy of Manchester City has been charged with additional count of rape
Following the relaxation of reporting restrictions, Manchester City and France footballer Benjamin Mendy was charged with a further count of rape on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old is now accused of eight counts of rape, one act of sexual assault, and one count of attempted rape involving seven young ladies, according to the latest allegation, which involves a new complainant.
Mendy pleaded not guilty to the previous allegations last month. The most recent has yet to be presented to him in a courtroom.
The media had been barred from reporting on the latest charge, but judge Steven Everett lifted the prohibition during a hearing on Wednesday at Chester Crown Court in northwest England.
All of the alleged crimes are reported to have occurred between October 2018 and August last year at Mendy’s home location near Macclesfield, northwest England.
On July 25, Mendy and his co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, 40, will stand trial before a jury. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Matturie is accused of raping and sexually assaulting eight young women on eight charges. His alleged crimes occurred between July 2012 and August of last year.
Both defendants have been released on bail. Under English law, none of the women accused of being assaulted can be identified.
Mendy moved to City from Monaco in the French Premier League in 2017. He has appeared 75 times for Manchester United, but due to injuries and a loss of form, his playing time has been limited.
After being charged by the police, he was suspended by the city.
After winning the World Cup in 2018, Mendy’s ten caps for France came to an end in November 2019.
