The Chester Crown Court in England has refused to grant Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy bail ahead of his rape and assault trial.
The trial of the 27-year-old French defender is expected to commence on 24 January 2022. He is currently remanded at HMP Altcourse prison in Liverpool.
Ahead of the trial, Benjamin Mendy‘s legal representatives have tried three times to convince the court to release him on bail but the court has refused to let him go.
On Monday, October 11, Mendy’s legal representatives went before Judge Patrick Thompson of the Chester Crown Court to defend their third bail application in a private hearing.
Reports in the United Kingdom confirmed that Benjamin Mendy who is yet to enter a plea for the multiple rapes and sexual assault allegations against him was not present in the private hearing.
Unfortunately for him, the court did not see any merit in the application of his representatives which means that the 27-year-old French football star will spend the forthcoming Christmas holiday in prison while he awaits trial.
Recall that Benjamin Mendy was charged on August 26, 2021, with alleged attacks on three different women between October 2020 and August 2021.
Following his arrest and the multiple charges of rape and sexual assault slammed against him, Manchester City had to suspend him pending the outcome of the club’s in-house investigation.
The police investigation revealed that a 40-year-old man was linked to one of the rape cases involving the football star. The man was arrested and subsequently bail unlike in the case of the football star.
As it stands, Benjamin Mendy who has been remanded in prison for about seven weeks would face trial alongside the 40-year-old man in January.
The football star has been a Manchester City player since July 24, 2017. City paid Monaco €57.50 million for the services of the French star. His contract with City will expire in June 2023.
Our Matchday Live team on why it'll be an important season for @benmendy23 💬
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 15, 2021
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Five facts about Benjamin Mendy of Manchester City
- Benjamin Mendy is a practicing Muslim. He has made the Hajj to Mecca once.
- Mendy was part of the France national team squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- He is a recipient of the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit, both military and civil, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
- During the 2016-2017 season in France, Benjamin Mendy was so good that he was named in UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year.
- He has played 293 times and has scored 6 goals for Manchester City.
