CHESTER, UK – Former Manchester City and France international footballer Benjamin Mendy broke down in tears after a British jury found him not guilty of sex crimes on Friday.
Mendy, 28, put his head on his knees and wiped away tears as he heard the verdict at the end of a three-week trial at Chestercrown Court in the North West of England.
he used to He was acquitted of six rape and one sexual assault charges in January. After 6 months trial.
The trial jurors were unable to reach a verdict on each of the charges of rape and attempted rape. As a result, a retrial will be held.
Mendy, whose contract with Manchester City expired at the end of June, has denied all the charges against him.
He was indicted along with alleged “fixer” Louis-Saha-Machrye, 41, who was acquitted by a jury in an earlier trial of three charges of raping two teenage boys.
The jury also did not reach a verdict on three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against Mathury by five other women.
He faces another retrial later this year.
Prosecutors had alleged that Mendy was a sexual “looter” who raped or sexually assaulted a young woman Matthurly had procured at a party at a luxury home in south Manchester.
However, Mendy denied ever coercing a woman to have sex, and both insisted that sex with the woman was consensual.
Mendy joined Manchester City from French club Monaco in 2017 and set a record as a defender, making 75 appearances for the city.
However, his playing time was limited by injuries and declining form.
The last of his 10 caps for France was in November 2019 after the defender won the 2018 World Cup.
The ordeal saw him miss out on Manchester City’s treble of the English Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League last season.
In a statement after the verdict, the player’s lawyer said he was “delighted” to have been acquitted in both trials.
“Benjamin Mendy would like to thank the jurors for focusing on the evidence in this trial rather than the rumors and innuendo that have haunted the case from the beginning,” they added.
They said he was “trying to stay strong” throughout, but the court proceedings had a “serious impact” on him. -AFPMore
https://www.tnp.sg/sports/football/footballer-benjamin-mendy-breaks-down-acquitted-sex-offences Soccer player Benjamin Mendy breaks down in tears over sex crimes acquittal, latest football news