London: Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy has been accused of sexual harassment. Its hearing began on Monday. The 28-year-old French player is facing eight counts of rape, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault. However, he has denied all the allegations. All these cases are from October 2018 to August 2021. During this, Mendy took seven different girls to his mansion. Some women alleged that mobile phones were also taken from them while others said that they were attacked in closed rooms.
Timothy Cray QC, appearing for the prosecution, opened the trial, saying it had little to do with football and more about men who think they are powerful. He went on to say – this is another chapter in a much older story: men who rape and sexually harass women because they think they are powerful, and because they think they can get away with it. The prosecution addressed him as a victim.
Eight men and six women were sworn in on the jury, including two jury members, who will be discharged after the case is opened. Mendy is accused of sexually assaulting seven young women between July 2018 and August last year. According to a report by the DPA news agency, none of the women involved could be identified and the reporting restrictions would remain in place before the hearing.
Mendy has been playing for Manchester City since 2017. He was suspended by the club after the police filed a chargesheet. He is currently out on bail and the trial is expected to last for 15 weeks. He was also part of the France team that won the Football World Cup in 2018.
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