Today, Benjamin Mendy cried and praised God after being found not guilty of rape and attempted rape.
The 28-year-old former Manchester City player was charged with sexually assaulting two women in his £4 million mansion.
After three hours of deliberation, the jury found him not guilty at Chester Crown Court this afternoon. He sobbed in the court before expressing his happiness at the decision.
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On two counts of attempted rape and rape committed during lockdown-busting parties, Mendy had to stand trial again. After his contract with agent City expired at the end of June and he played his final match for the Premier League champions in August 2021, he is now a free agent but without a club.
After a court battle in January, the French international full back was already exonerated of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
When he was exonerated, Mendy sobbed. His solicitors said that he will now “rebuild his life” and that a comeback to premier football is now likely. Although visibly moved, the celebrity simply uttered the Arabic phrase “Alhamdulillah,” which means “Praise be to God,” outside of court.
“Benjamin Mendy would like to thank the members of the jury for focusing on the evidence in this trial, rather than on the rumour and innuendo that have followed this case from the beginning,” said Jenny Wiltshire, Head of Serious & General Crime at Hickman & Rose.
Mendy has been tried twice and was acquitted both times by juries. He is happy that the right decisions were made by both juries.
‘The police have been looking into this matter for about 3 years now. Despite Mr. Mendy’s best efforts, the process has unavoidably had a negative effect on him.
“He asks for privacy so he can start rebuilding his life. He thanks everyone who has supported him throughout this ordeal.”
The 28-year-old French foreign denied committing the two sex assaults and being a “sexual predator.” After a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court, he was found not guilty.
Mendy was exonerated of trying to rape a lady in October 2018 at his £4 million property in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire. The victim was 29 years old at the time. His contract with the Premier League champions expired on July 1.
Two years later, at his home address, he was also cleared of the rape of a second woman, age 24, by the same jury.
In October 2017, the first claimed victim and Mendy’s buddy Diacko Fofana engaged in a ‘intimate’ encounter at a nightclub in Barcelona.
The two stayed in touch, and a year later they planned to meet at Mendy’s estate.
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The woman spent the night with Fofana in a separate bedroom at the house after the three of them went partying in Manchester.
The following morning as she was taking a shower, Mendy, who she claimed had a “predatory look on his face,” entered her bedroom looking “aroused” and only wearing his boxer.
The woman claimed that after repeatedly telling Mendy to “arrêter,” which is French for “stop,” before she was able to break free, she was then chained to the bed and raped.