Benjamin Mendy was suspended by Manchester City in August 2021 pending an investigation which resulted in him being charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault. The 27-year-old was arrested in August and held in custody until being bailed from prison in January 2022.
Mendy’s trial, related to charges that span late 2020 and August 2021, was pushed back until June and Judge Patrick Thompson told the French international of his bail conditions – he ‘must live at his home address’, he must ‘not contact complainants’ and he must ‘surrender his passport’.
Mendy had a pre-trial hearing at Chester Crown Court in April, but he wasn’t required to be present so his legal counsel were there instead. Legal and evidential matters were dealt with in 30 minutes and there will be one more pre-trial hearing to take place on May 23 before Mendy’s official trial on July 25.
The 27-year-old was spotted in public last month, having coffee with friends, walking the streets and then being driven home in a blacked out van. His last appearance for City was in August 2021’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Mendy has made 75 appearances in all competitions since joining City from AS Monaco, but he may have played his final game for the club regardless of the trial’s outcome.
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