Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy remanded in custody until trial in January

Benjamin Mendy is accused of attacking three women at his home in Cheshire between October 2020 and August 2021.

Mendy joined City from Monaco in 2017 and has made 75 appearances for the club. (Image Credit: Twitter)
By Arnab Mukherji | Sep 11, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been remanded in custody, after appearing in court having been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The 27-year-old was denied bail last week. Eleanor Laws, who is defending the footballer stated that there would be an application to dismiss the charges at a hearing on November 15, according to a report by the BBC. Mendy will stand trial on January 24, 2022 after the Chester Crown Court set a trial date. The footballer’s contract with English Premier League (EPL) giants Manchester City has already been suspended.

“The matter is subject to a legal process”

City confirmed their decision to suspend the footballer with an update on the official website.

“Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin 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.”

“Charges are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021”

“The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised Cheshire Constabulary to charge a man in connection with allegations of sexual assault. Benjamin Mendy, aged 27, has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The charges relate to three complainants over the age of 16 and are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021. Mendy has been remanded in police custody and is set to appear at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Friday, Aug. 27,” said a statement issued by Cheshire Police.

“Benjamin Mendy (DOB: 17/07/1994) has been charged with: Rape of a person over 16 years of age x 4, Sexual Assault x 1. The decision to charge has been made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider. The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors,” it added.

“If appropriate, the CPS may change the charges or stop a case”

“This assessment is based on the evidence available arising out of the police investigation and not on the evidence that is likely to be gathered by the defence, and likely to be used to test the prosecution evidence. The CPS charging decision is therefore necessarily an assessment on the basis of the evidence that is available to the CPS at the time the decision is made. CPS prosecutors must also keep every case under review, so that they take account of any change in circumstances that occurs as the case develops, including what becomes known of the defence case. If appropriate, the CPS may change the charges or stop a case. No further information is available at this stage,” concluded the statement.





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