Benjamin Mendy appears in court over new rape allegations

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Mendy joined City from Monaco in 2017 (Shaun Botterill / PA) (PA Archive)

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy appeared in court on two more counts of rape.

Mendy, 27, now faces a total of six rape allegations and one sexual assault after being initially charged with five offenses in August.

The France international has been in detention since August after several bail requests were denied by judges.

He appeared by video link in Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday afternoon, charged with two other counts of rape.

During the five-minute hearing, which was delayed due to technical issues, Mendy, who appeared wearing a cream-colored sweatshirt, spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth .

The court clerk told the hearing that Mendy was charged with two counts of rape, which allegedly took place in Macclesfield in July and August this year.

The footballer was initially charged on August 26 with three counts of rape related to an alleged incident in October 2020, one count of raping a woman in August this year and sexually assaulting a woman in early January 2021.

The alleged breaches concern four women over the age of 16 and are believed to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021 at her home on Withinlee Road in Prestbury, Cheshire.

Mendy appeared alongside his co-accused, Louis Saha Matturie, 40, who was also charged with two additional counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The court heard that Matturie, from Eccles, in Greater Manchester, is accused of sexually touching a woman in Sheffield in 2016, raping a woman in March this year and another count of rape in Macclesfield in July.

He now faces six counts of rape in total and one of sexual assault.

District Judge Margaret McCormack told the defendants: The charges before you will be sent to Chester Crown Court and you will appear there tomorrow morning, to link up with the existing cases.

No bail application was filed during Wednesday’s hearing. Both men are scheduled to stand trial on January 24, 2022.

The story continues

Mendy has been playing for Manchester City since 2017 when he joined Monaco for 52million.

He was suspended by the club after being indicted by police, pending an investigation.

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