PHOTOS have emerged showing the inside of Benjamin Mendy’s mansion where he allegedly raped victims as young as 17.
Jurors today saw police bodycam footage from inside the “isolated” mansion where Mendy, 28, is accused of raping multiple women.
The mansion was “part and parcel” of how the Manchester City left-back and his co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, 40, were able to abuse their alleged victims, Chester Crown Court heard.
Mendy is accused of 10 offences against seven women between October 2018 and August 2021.
He denies eight counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape.
Saha is accused of eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault relating to eight women, which he also denies.
Read more UK news
As the first day of their trial kicked off, the jury was shown drone footage with aerial shots from above of Mendy’s gated mansion house in Cheshire – 17 miles south of central Manchester.
Prosecutor Timothy Cray said the nearest village was a 15-minute walk away.
He said: “It was isolated or so many of the witnesses thought, and once they were there – with the gates locked behind them – they felt vulnerable.”
Many of the women had their phones taken away when they arrived – leaving them feeling “cut off”.
Jurors were also shown a police bodycam footage “walk through” of inside the house.
Most read in The Sun
Footage showed the ground floor – including a swimming pool, jacuzzi and cinema room.
Mr Cray said there were five dates – between October 2018 and August 2021 – when nine young women arrived at Mendy’s address.
Afterwards, they all made complaints of rape and, or sexual assault against Mendy and Saha.
Mendy is accused of raping five of the women – the youngest just 17.
The court heard how Mendy and Saha shut several of their victims in rooms in the mansion.
The women were allegedly put in the study and master bedroom, which have “special locking doors”.
The locking mechanism created a “panic room” in case of burglary which can only be opened from the inside not the outside.
Mr Cray told jurors only someone who knew how to open the doors could do so, adding: “Two witnesses allege rapes in those rooms and felt they were locked in.”
“Vulnerable, scared, isolated – these are words you’ll hear from lots of the witnesses,” Mr Cray added.
“Ask yourselves, as you get under the skin of what was happening, who had the power and control in the situations these women experienced and you will hear about?”
Some of the complainants were 17 and 18 at the time.
Earlier today, the jury heard how Mendy told his victim “don’t move” as he held her arms behind her back and raped her.
[The mansion] was isolated or so many of the witnesses thought, and once they were there – with the gates locked behind them – they felt vulnerable.
Prosecutor Timothy Cray
The court heard of a significant date involving a pool party, a trip to a nightclub and a post-club party back at Mendy’s house, on July 23 and into July 24 last year.
Over this period, Mendy is accused of the rape of three women – one aged 22 and two aged 19.
One of the 19-year-olds was also allegedly raped by Saha.
Saha is also accused of the sexual assault of another woman, aged 22, in the same 24-hour period.
On the evening of July 23, a 22-year-old woman who worked at a nightclub in Manchester was invited to the pool party by Saha in return for money – an attempt to “procure” her as a potential victim, it is alleged.
Mendy invited the 22-year-old to the cinema room in the house and the woman told another girl if she was not back in 10 minutes to come and find her.
The 22-year-old did not want sex but he “persisted in his demands” until she gave in and he raped her, the court heard.
The other girl did come looking for her – but found two of Mendy’s associates blocking her way.
After the pool party, Mendy, Saha and others went to China White nightclub in Manchester.
Two 19-year-old woman who had been to the pool party returned to Mendy’s house after the club, where both were raped, it is alleged.
One remembered being in the swimming pool.
Her next recollection was being face down on a sofa in the living room with her arms being held behind her back.
Mendy was raping her saying, “Don’t move, don’t move”, the court heard.
The £52million defender today arrived at Chester Crown Court for the first day of his trial.
Mr Cray said between October 2018 and August 2021, nine young women arrived at Mendy’s address on five separate days.
They afterwards made complaints of rape and sexual assault against Mendy and Saha.
There are also four separate complaints against Saha involving allegations away from Mendy’s house, in Manchester and Sheffield.
Mendy was bailed in January after spending 134 days in custody following his arrest in August.
Premier League champions Man City spent a reported £49.2million signing Mendy from French side Monaco in 2017.
He last played for the club on August 15, 2021, during their 1-0 defeat to Tottenham at the start of last season.
Read More on The Sun
In September 2020, City boss Pep Guardiola revealed Mendy would be out of the game for at least a month due to an injury.
The trial continues.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
