14 July 2023 , 14:23
713
0
Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of one count of attempted rape and a second charge of rape.
The 28-year-old French footballer was acquitted by a jury of six men and six women at Chester Crown Court following a retrial.
Mendy, who wept as the verdicts were read out, was accused of attempting to rape a woman at his Cheshire home in October 2018 along with a separate count of raping another woman at the same location in October 2020.
The defender was last month released by Manchester City at the end of his contract having been suspended by the Premier League champions at the time of his arrest in August 2021.
Mendy speaking to the media after the verdict (PA)Mendy was previously acquitted in January of seven other trials by a different jury.
Premier League odds and betting tips
He had stood for the verdicts but sank to his seat, his head on his knees, wiping away tears with a white tissue.
Mendy, whose contract with the Premier League champions ended on July 1, was cleared of attempting to rape a woman, aged 29 at the time, at his £4 million mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire in October 2018.
He was also found not guilty of the rape of a second woman, aged 24, two years later also at his home address.
The French international footballer is alleged to have later told her “it’s fine, I’ve had sex with 10,000 women”, the court heard.
Mendy leaving court after the verdict (AFP via Getty Images)The jury of six men and six women were out for around three hours and 15 minutes before returning their verdicts.
Judge Steven Everett responded: “Mr Mendy can be discharged from the dock.”
His trial was a re-trial, having been cleared by a jury earlier this year of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four young women or teenagers, following a six-month trial.
Jurors failed to reach verdicts on the two counts of rape and attempted rape he was re-tried with.
The footballer was released by Man City in July (AFP via Getty Images)Mendy's lawyer Jenny Wiltshire, head of serious & general crime at Hickman & Rose said: "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 outset.
"This is the second time that Mr Mendy has been tried and found not guilty by a jury. He is delighted that both juries reached the correct verdicts.
World Cup hero wants Man Utd move as doubts over Harry Maguire's future grow
"It has been almost three years since the police started investigating this matter. Mr Mendy has tried to remain strong but the process has, inevitably had a serious impact on him.
"He thanks everyone who has supported him throughout this ordeal and now asks for privacy so he can begin rebuilding his life."