Benjamin Mendy Returns to Court for Retrial on Sexual Offence Charges

French footballer Benjamin Mendy, 28, arrived at Chester Crown Court in northwest England on June 26, 2023, to face a retrial for two alleged sexual offenses. This comes five months after he was cleared of multiple other counts by a previous jury.

Mendy, a player for Manchester City, was photographed entering and leaving the courtroom as he prepared to face one count of rape and one count of attempted rape. The proceedings for his retrial are set to commence on Tuesday (today), once a new jury is selected.

During his previous trial, which concluded in January, the jury was unable to reach verdicts on the two charges related to two different women. However, the defender was acquitted of six other counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against four women following a six-month trial.

After the not guilty verdicts were announced in January, Mendy expressed his relief by covering his face with both hands and gently rocking back and forth. His lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, stated that he was delighted to be acquitted of most charges and looked forward to clearing his name regarding the remaining two charges.

Mendy’s co-accused, Louis Saha Matturie, 41, who was described as an alleged “fixer,” was found not guilty by the jury of three counts of rape involving two teenagers. However, the jury also failed to reach verdicts on three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against Matturie, filed by five other women. He will face a separate retrial later this year.

The prosecution had alleged that Mendy was a sexual “predator” who engaged in non-consensual acts with young women provided by Matturie during parties at his residence in the south of Manchester. Both Mendy and Matturie denied any non-consensual sexual activity, asserting that their interactions with women were consensual.

Benjamin Mendy joined Manchester City from French club Monaco in 2017. Although he has played 75 times for the team, injuries and a decline in form limited his playing time. He last played on August 15, 2021, shortly before he faced initial charges of four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Having won the World Cup in 2018, Mendy earned his last international cap for France in November 2019. His contract with Manchester City is set to expire at the end of the month and is reportedly not expected to be renewed.