A pre-trial hearing has been held ahead of the rape trial of Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy. The 27-year-old French international defender was accused of nine sex offenses. There are seven counts of rape involving four women, one act of sexual assault, and one count of attempted rape.
Louis Saha Matturie, 40, his co-accused, is charged with ten crimes involving seven people, including seven counts of rape involving five women and three counts of sexual assault.
All of the charges date from late 2020 to August 2021, and both accused were detained for the first time on August 26 of last year. On Thursday morning, a hearing in the case was held at Chester Crown Court (April 21).
Legal and evidentiary issues that cannot be reported ahead of time. The issues raised during the trial were addressed during the brief hearing before The Recorder of Chester Judge Steven Everett, which lasted less than half an hour.
Mr. Mendy of Prestbury, near Macclesfield in Cheshire, and Mr. Matturie of Eccles, Salford, both on bail, were not compelled to attend the hearing and were represented by their legal counsel, who appeared via videolink.
A pre-trial hearing for both defendants is scheduled for May 23. The trial is scheduled to begin on July 25 of this year and is expected to last six weeks.
All of the charges stem from the period between late 2020 and August 2021, with both men detained on August 26 of last year.
Legally, none of the women can be identified.
Mendy has been with Manchester City since 2017 when he moved for a record £52 million from Monaco.
After being charged by police, he was suspended by the club. A pre-trial hearing for both defendants is scheduled for May 23. Mendy was released on bail in January after serving a four-month sentence in prison for alleged sex assaults.
