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Tag: Benjamin Mendy

  • Benjamin Mendy Secures New Opportunity at Lorient Following Legal Clearance

    Benjamin Mendy Secures New Opportunity at Lorient Following Legal Clearance

    After enduring a tumultuous period marked by rape allegations and legal battles, Benjamin Mendy has finally found a path back into professional football. The French Ligue 1 club, Lorient, has shown faith in the player by offering him a fresh start.

    Since 2021, Mendy, a former French international, has been absent from the sport as he faced a series of legal cases related to alleged sexual offenses, including attempted rape and multiple accusations of rape in the United Kingdom. The severity of the charges resulted in an extended period of incarceration while awaiting trial. Despite his pleas of innocence, the court denied him bail, adding to the adversity he faced.

    In January 2023, Mendy received a favorable verdict, with most of the rape charges against him being dismissed. However, two cases required a retrial due to unresolved outcomes from the initial proceedings. After a long and arduous legal process, Mendy was ultimately declared not guilty of all charges earlier this month, finally granting him freedom after nearly two years of turmoil.

    During this challenging period, Mendy’s former club, Manchester City, indefinitely suspended him, halting his wages and further complicating his situation. Furthermore, on June 30, 2023, his contract with the reigning Premier League champions expired, leaving him without a club for the first time in his career.

    The news of his acquittal brought tears of relief to the 28-year-old Mendy on Friday. However, the question remained as to whether any team would be willing to provide him with another opportunity to resurrect his football career.

    Today, Italian football expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Lorient has indeed decided to take a chance on Mendy. The club has signed him as their new left-back, offering him a contract that extends until June 2025. This move comes less than a week after Mendy’s legal clearance from the Chester Crown Court.

    The signing signifies Lorient’s willingness to provide Mendy with a fresh start and the opportunity to rebuild his professional life. With the legal battles behind him, Mendy can now focus on his football career and repay the club’s faith in him.

  • Benjamin Mendy Found Not Guilty Of Rape Allegations

    Benjamin Mendy Found Not Guilty Of Rape Allegations

    Ex-Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of rape and attempted rape by a jury at Chester Crown court.

    The French defender was accused of raping a 24-year-old woman at his home in Cheshire in October 2022

    Similarly, he was charged with the attempted rape of a 29-year-old woman, who alleged that he had molested her at his home two years earlier.

    Mendy denied both charges and was found not guilty by the jury of six men and six women.

    The court then ruled that both encounters had been consensual.

    Mendy broke down in tears as the verdicts which declared his innocence, were read out by the jury foreman following a three-week trial and Chester Crown Court.

    Judge Steven Everett said: “Mr Mendy can be discharged from the dock.

    “The footballer, whose contract with Manchester City expired this month, was cleared at the earlier trial of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four young women or teenagers.

    But jurors failed to reach verdicts on two counts of rape and attempted rape, prompting a re-trial.

    Mendy was under contract to Manchester City until 1 July.

  • Benjamin Mendy to Face Retrial for Sex Offences in Manchester City Case

    Benjamin Mendy to Face Retrial for Sex Offences in Manchester City Case

    French footballer Benjamin Mendy is set to undergo a retrial for two alleged sexual offences in a UK courtroom. The trial, which starts on Monday, follows a previous case where a jury acquitted him of multiple counts but failed to reach verdicts on two charges involving two different women.

    Mendy, 28, who currently plays for Manchester City, will appear at Chester Crown Court in northwest England to face one count of rape and one count of attempted rape. In his previous trial that concluded in January, Mendy was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against four women after a six-month trial.

    The judge promptly scheduled a retrial for the two charges on which the previous jury could not reach a decision. Mendy, whose contract with Manchester City is reportedly not set to be renewed and expires at the end of this month, has denied all the charges brought against him.

    When the not-guilty verdicts were announced in January, Mendy covered his face with both hands and showed signs of relief. His lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, stated that the footballer was “delighted” to be acquitted of most charges and expressed his desire to “clear his name in relation to the other two charges so he can start rebuilding his life.”

    Mendy has consistently denied ever forcing any woman into sexual activity, asserting that any encounters he had were consensual. Since joining Manchester City from Monaco in 2017, Mendy has played 75 matches for the club, although injuries and a loss of form have limited his playing time.

    Notably, Mendy has been inactive since August 15, 2021, shortly before he was initially charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The defender’s international career for France also came to a halt in November 2019, following his participation in the 2018 World Cup where the team emerged victorious.

    The retrial aims to resolve the remaining charges against Mendy, allowing him to move forward and rebuild his life beyond the courtroom.

  • Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault

    Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault

    Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been charged by the Cheshire Constabulary with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says the alleged events took place in Cheshire, northwest England, between October 2020 and August 2021 and relate to three complainants over the age of 16.”Mendy, of Withinlee Road, Prestbury, has been remanded in police custody and will appear before Chester Magistrates’ Court on Friday 27 August 2021,” the CPS statement read.In a statement on the club’s website, Manchester City said Mendy “has been suspended pending an investigation.””The matter is subject to a legal process and the Club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete,” the statement read.CNN has reached out to Mendy’s representatives but did not receive an immediate response.