French footballer Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty of six rapes and one sexual assault on Friday by a British court but will be retried in June on two charges of rape and attempted rape for which the jury did not did not reach a verdict.
As the court ruling was announced, Benjamin Mendy placed both hands on his face, rocking back and forth slightly. After five months of trial, the French international footballer was declared not guilty of six rapes and a sexual assault, Friday January 13, by British justice.
After 14 days of deliberation, jurors acquitted him of six rapes and one sexual assault on four women. However, they failed to agree on a verdict on two other charges, one for rape of a 24-year-old woman in October 2020 and one for attempted rape of a 29-year-old woman in 2018. Benjamin Mendy will therefore be retried for two to three weeks from June 26 for these last charges, announced judge Steven Everett. A procedural hearing is scheduled for January 27.
The Manchester City defender, 2018 world champion with France, had appeared since early August. Accused of seven rapes, an attempted rape and a sexual assault, he risked life imprisonment.
“He can’t wait to clear his name” so he can “start to rebuild his life,” said his lawyer Jenny Wiltshire. Benjamin Mendy is “delighted” to have been acquitted “unanimously” of most of the charges against him, she added.
AfrikPage with other news agencies