Embattled Manchester City defender, Benjamin Mendy could not appear in court to answer for the two additional counts of rape against him.
The court was able to get the audience of the 27-year-old Frenchman via a video link during the court hearing on the 2 fresh counts of rape added to the already existing 4 counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
During the court hearing which did not last for up to 6 minutes, Benjamin Mendy was made to say his name, date of birth, and country of citizenship before the court hearing ended.
Based on the two additional counts of rape against Benjamin Mendy, the out-of-favor France international now has a total of 6 counts of rape and one count of sexual assault to answer to when his trial officially resumes on January 24, 2022.
Recall that Mendy has been in custody since August after he was arrested for rapping four different women between October 2020 and August 2021.
His legal representatives tried to release him on bail but the courts in Manchester refused to grant him bail. Hence, he has to remain in custody until next year.
Though Manchester City have placed him on suspension due to the ongoing investigation, his contract with the club remains intact until June 30, 2023, when the contract is expected to expire.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is not happy with media platforms that used his pictures for stories concerning Benjamin Mendy
Earlier in the week when the news broke that two additional counts of rape have been added to the charges against Benjamin Mendy, many media outlets in France and United Kingdom used Edouard Mendy’s pictures for the story.
In reaction to the erroneous act, Edouard Mendy took to his Instagram story to blast the media outfits that committed such a blunder.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper who plays for Senegal national team questioned how the media outfits could not differentiate his face from the face of Benjamin Mendy. He also questioned how the media outfits could not differentiate between Chelsea’s jersey and Manchester City’s jersey.
Hence, Edouard Mendy described the error as a “highly symbolic” act which he said was sad to see.
The goalkeeper wrote: “Sad to see in 2021, in France as well as in England, for some, black people have neither names nor distinct face,’ he said.
“These ‘mistakes’ of photos appear anecdotal, but they are quite the opposite, they are highly symbolic.
“It’s not that complicated to differentiate two faces, especially when the football jersey is of valuable help.”
