French footballer Benjamin Mendy is set to return to a UK courtroom on Monday as his retrial begins for two alleged sexual offenses, following his acquittal on multiple other counts five months ago.
The Manchester City player, aged 28, will appear in Chester Crown Court in northwest England, facing one charge of rape and one of attempted rape. In his previous trial in January, the jury failed to reach a verdict on these two charges, which involved two different women.
During the six-month trial, Mendy was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against four women. However, the judge immediately scheduled a retrial for the two unresolved charges.
Mendy, whose contract with Manchester City expires at the end of this month and is not expected to be renewed, has consistently denied all the allegations brought against him.
When the not-guilty verdicts were announced in January, Mendy covered his face with both hands and displayed visible relief. His lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, expressed his satisfaction at being acquitted of most charges and his desire to clear his name regarding the remaining two charges, allowing him to move forward with his life.
Mendy's co-defendant, Louis Saha Matturie, 41, who was described as an alleged "fixer," was found not guilty 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, and he will face a separate retrial later this year.
The prosecution had claimed that Mendy acted as a sexual "predator" who engaged in non-consensual sexual activities with young women facilitated by Matturie at parties in his luxury home south of Manchester. Mendy vehemently denied ever coercing any woman into sexual acts, maintaining that any encounters were consensual.
Mendy joined Manchester City from French club Monaco in 2017 and has made 75 appearances for the team, although his playing time has been hampered by injuries and a decline in form. He has not played since August 15, 2021, shortly before the initial charges of four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault were brought against him. Mendy last represented France in November 2019, following his World Cup victory in 2018 as part of the national team.
