Benjamin Mendy was heard Monday in Chester, England, where his second trial in less than a year is taking place. At the end of the first, on January 13, 2023, the former defender of Manchester City and the France team (10 selections) was acquitted of six rapes and a sexual assault. A seventh charge of rape and another of attempted rape remained to be studied, concerning facts dating back to 2018 and 2020.
“I didn’t force anything, she had her arms around me, I had my arms around her,” said the footballer in particular in his defense, according to comments reported by L’Equipe. “She” being one of the two complainants, who accuses Mendy of having raped her during a party at the player’s home when she did not want to sleep with him. “I told him there was no problem. The next day, I arranged for a driver to accompany her,” continued the former Monegasque.
Benjamin Mendy then confronted the second complainant’s version before answering the prosecutor’s questions. He said, “What Benjamin Mendy wants, Benjamin Mendy has.”