JURORS in Benjamin Mendy’s rape trial have been told they can return a majority verdict.
The Manchester City footballer, 28, has been accused of being a “predator” who “turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game”.
Jurors at Chester Crown Court have so far been deliberating for 12 days.
The judge has now ruled they can deliver a majority verdict, which means the result does not have to be unanimous.
Instead, a majority selection of the jury panel can agree on the verdict.
Mendy is accused of seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young women.
The star allegedly locked women in “panic rooms” at his mansion in Cheshire while hosting parties.
Some of his alleged victims claim their phones were taken away from them on arrival, which the prosecution say left them unable to call for help.
Mendy previously told the court it was “honestly, so easy” for him to meet up with women and have sex “because of the status”.
The French international said the attention became “10 times more” when he began playing for Man City while admitting he is “no Brad Pitt”.
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He also told jurors he would often sleep with different women on the same night, admitting: “For me it was normal, I realised just now it sounds bad.”
Mendy is on trial with co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, 41, who was an alleged “fixer” in charge of finding women for sex.
He denies six counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault relating to seven young women.
Both men say if any sex did take place with women or girls it was consensual.
The trial continues.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
