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Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty on six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
The Frenchman was accused of raping four women and sexually assaulting another during parties at his Cheshire mansion during lockdown. A statement from the club's official website reads:
"Manchester City FC notes the verdict from Chester Crown Court today, where a jury has found Benjamin Mendy not guilty of seven charges. The jury is hung on two charges, and the trial is now over. Given there are open matters related to this case, the club is not in a position to comment further at this time."
The 28-year-old is set to face a second trial after the jury couldn't reach a verdict on a charge of Mendy raping one woman and attempting to rape another, per the Guardian. The Manchester City left-back has denied ever raping or sexually assaulting his alleged victims and insisted that they all wanted to have sex with him.
His co-defendant, Louis Saha Matturie, was also cleared of three charges of rape involving two women. The offenses that Mendy and Matturie were accused of were said to have taken place between October 2018 and August 2021 at his Cheshire home.
Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy on life in prison
Benjamin Mendy reflected on life in prison during his time on remand for allegations of rape and sexual assault. He explained that he learned the value of money and that he came to a realization that it was possible to hurt women's feelings.
He said during his trial earlier last year (via Manchester Evening News):
"It is the first time I was really careful. The life I had before, everything I wanted to have, I just buy it. So it teached me the value of money. At the same time, I was sad, upset to go in there, but at the same time, I learned a lot of things about life."
Benjamin Mendy last played for Manchester City in 2021 before the Frenchman was arrested, and the court case ensued.
