He was already charged with seven rapes and one sexual assault. British justice on Wednesday increased the charges against Manchester City’s French international defender Benjamin Mendy, adding attempted rape to the charges against him.
The trial is due to start from July 25 for six weeks, with Judge Patrick Thompson urging at a preliminary hearing at the Crown Court in Chester, northwest England, on Wednesday, lawyers to ensure that everything be ready for the trial to begin on that date.
Any delay would not be fair to either the plaintiffs or the defendants, the magistrate stressed. “For example, Mr. Mendy, his career is on hold. Everyone must understand that Mr. Mendy cannot go to work. This case must be tried,” he said. Dressed in a gray suit, the footballer only spoke to confirm his identity. A new procedural hearing is scheduled for March 11.
Nine counts of lawsuits involving six complainants
The 27-year-old spent four months in pre-trial detention before being released on bail. In total, he is charged with nine counts of prosecution concerning six complainants, for acts that were allegedly committed between the end of 2020 and August 2021.
Mendy will be tried alongside Louis Saha Matturie, unrelated to former footballer Louis Saha and whose ties to Mendy are unclear. The 40-year-old man, also under judicial supervision, is being prosecuted for seven rapes and three sexual assaults on seven women.