Manchester City and France football player, Benjamin Mendy raped a woman at his home and then told her: “It’s fine, I’ve had sex with 10,000 women.”
The jury has heard that Mendy, 28 years old at the time, is accused of attacking the woman, who was 24 at the time, at his £4m mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, in October 2020.
He is also facing a charge of attempted rape involving another woman, who was 29 at the time, and claims that he attacked her at his home two years earlier. Mendy denies both charges.
The trial judge, Stephen Everett, informed the jury that Mendy had previously been found not guilty of sexual offenses alleged by other women in a trial that concluded in January.
However, the jury in that trial was unable to reach verdicts on the current charges of rape and attempted rape, leading to the retrial.
Judge Everett cautioned the jury against seeking information about the previous trial or following media coverage, emphasizing that they should base their decision solely on the evidence presented during the current trial.
Prosecutor Benjamin Aina KC outlined the case, asserting that Mendy, as a footballer contracted to Manchester City FC, hosted parties and social gatherings at his residence in Mottram St Andrew.
The prosecution said, “He (Mendy) would have parties and social gatherings at his home, The Spinney, in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire.
“He would have both male and female guests at his social gatherings. It is the prosecution case that on two occasions Mr Mendy took advantage of two of his female guests.
“On one occasion he tried to have forced sex with a female guest, woman A. On another occasion he raped a female guest in one of his bedrooms, woman B.”
Mr Aina said Mr Mendy first met woman A, a UK student, while in a nightclub in Barcelona in late 2017 and she became intimate with one of his friends.
They kept in touch and a year later she arranged to visit the accused’s friend at the footballer’s house, where they stayed after they all went with other girls for a night out.
The morning after, when she took a shower in the ensuite bathroom, Mr Mendy appeared uninvited, wearing just boxer shorts and he was “aroused”, the court heard.
According to the prosecution, Mendy then forcefully grabbed the woman and attempted to rape her on the bed while she struggled to free herself and repeatedly asked him to stop.
Regarding woman B, she was with friends at a bar in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, close to Mendy’s home, when they were invited to the footballer’s house, two years after the first incident.
Woman B alleges that Mendy took her phone, which contained “intimate” photos, and led her to his locked bedroom despite her request for its return.
Aina stated that Mendy told her he wanted to look at her and instructed her to undress. Woman B complied, leaving her underwear on, and Mendy threw her phone onto the bed.
As she went to retrieve it, the footballer is alleged to have taken hold of her from behind and raped her despite her telling him she did not want to have sex.
Aina told the jury: “At this stage Mr Mendy took a step back and said: ‘You’re too shy.’ Mr Mendy said: ‘It’s fine. I’ve had sex with 10,000 women.’”
Mendy has asserted to the police that any sexual contact in both instances was consensual and has denied any wrongdoing. The trial is ongoing.
KanyiDaily recalls that Benjamin Mendy was earlier found not guilty of one count of rape on the direction of the judge at his trial at Chester crown court.