Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of rape following a retrial at Chester Crown Court. The French defender was accused of attacking and raping a 24-year-old woman at his home in Mottram in October 2020.
Mendy was previously cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault at his previous trial, but the judge in that case had ordered a retrial of two counts of rape and one case of attempted rape case after the jury failed to reach a verdict.
Mendy was suspended by the blues following the allegations and subsequent charges in August 2021, following his arrest by police. His contract with City expired in June and was one of a number of players released by the club.
He signed for City in July 2017 in a £52m deal from Monaco, but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September, ruling him out of the side until April 2018. He again went under the surgeon’s knife later in 2018 for an operation on his knee during an injury-hit spell with the blues.
In total, Mendy made just 74 appearances in four full seasons, scoring two goals. His final appearance for City before his arrest came on the opening day of the season as the blues lost 1-0 at Spurs.
