BENJAMIN Mendy was today spotted for the first time since a jury cleared him of raping women at his isolated mansion.
The smiling Man City star was snapped walking with two pals in Cheshire this afternoon – two weeks after being acquitted.
The 28-year-old was accused by prosecutors of being a “predator” who “turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game”.
Mendy also allegedly locked his victims in a “panic room” and hid their phones so they couldn’t escape.
But on January 13, the French international was found not guilty of six rapes and one sexual assault against four women.
Jurors could not reach verdicts on one count of rape and one of attempted rape against two other alleged victims after 67 hours and 17 minutes of deliberations.
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He will return to court to be retried on June 26.
On the day, Mendy’s lawyer said he was “delighted” to have been cleared of sex attacks and “looks forward” to clearing his name at re-trial.
During the six-month trial, jurors were told by prosecutors that the left-back lured young women into “toxic and dangerous” situations at his six-bedroom Cheshire home.
Co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie acted as Mendy’s “fixer” by getting girls as young as 17 to attend the lockdown-busting parties after nights spent in the VIP sections of clubs drinking £1,500 bottles of champagne, it was alleged.
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Saha, 41, was found not guilty of three counts of rape relating to two teenagers.
Jurors failed to reach verdicts on three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against him by five other women.
Some of the alleged victims claimed their phones were taken away from them on arrival leaving them unable to call for help.
Once inside, the women were allegedly treated as “disposable… used for sex then thrown to one side”.
Mendy’s lawyer Eleanor Laws KC described claims he used his fame to attract the opposite sex were “utterly ridiculous”.
She told the court: “He’s not the kind of character to deliberately harm anyone under any circumstances.”
But during Mendy’s own evidence, he said it was “honestly so easy” for him to meet up with women and have sex “because of the status” – though admitted he’s no Brad Pitt.
He also told jurors he would often sleep with different women on the same night, and reportedly boasted to one alleged victim that he had bedded 10,000 women, telling her it was a “privilege” to be one of them.
Manchester City said it is “not in a position to comment further at this time”.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
