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      Pep Guardiola tells Benjamin Mendy rape trial that City star is ‘a good boy’ but he ‘can’t control’ what he does

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      PEP Guardiola told Benjamin Mendy’s alleged rape trial the footballer is a “good boy” but admitted he “can’t control” him off the pitch.The Man City boss also told jurors he was “not happy” about Mendy’s lockdown-busting parties at his Cheshire mansion.
      Pep Guardiola gave evidence at Benjamin Mendy’s alleged rape trialCredit: PA
      The footballer, 28, has been accused of being a “predator” who “turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game”.
      Mendy allegedly raped and sexually assaulted six young women in total at his isolated home.
      Pep told Chester Crown Court the left-back was a “really good boy” as he gave evidence via video-link today.
      He said: “It’s difficult to find a person in the locker room who speaks badly about Mendy.”
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      The manager, who was asked to slow down his evidence for those taking notes, was asked by Eleanor Laws KC if Mendy “enjoyed his life”.
      Pep replied: “I control my players when we are together in training sessions. In their private life, I don’t know what they do.
      “I don’t follow the players on social media so I don’t know what they are doing outside my control in training sessions and in games.”
      He continued: “I’m not his father.”
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      Describing the player’s ability, Pep said Mendy “quickly adapted to the team” and was “so generous”.
      He told jurors the defender liked “making rumours and having fun and making the people have fun”.
      Pep was asked by Ms Laws why he came to give evidence knowing Mendy had been accused of “serious sexual offences”.
      He said: “He asked me, Mendy, to come here today with all of you, your honour and that’s why I’m here.”
      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.
      He 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 and admitted he is “no Brad Pitt.
      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 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.
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      Both men say if any sex did take place with women or girls it was consensual.
      The trial continues.
      Pep gave evidence via videolink at Chester Crown CourtCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
      Mendy is accused of a string of sexual offencesCredit: Getty More

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      Benjamin Mendy’s cleaner told rape trial his house was a ‘catastrophe’ following a party

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      FOOTIE ace Benjamin Mendy’s cleaner yesterday told his rape trial that his house was a “catastrophe” following a party.Yvonne Shea said there were “bottles everywhere”, adding: “The glass tabletop had been broken. It was like windscreen glass so that was all over.”
      Footie ace Benjamin Mendy’s cleaner yesterday told his rape trial that his house was a ‘catastrophe’ following a partyCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      She had visited the Man City defender’s home in Prestbury, Cheshire, after a bash in August 2021 at which a woman was allegedly raped.
      Of the accusations against Mendy, she added: “I’m shocked. He’s not that kind of person.”
      The jury heard from ten character witnesses for Mendy, including three former lovers.
      And in a statement, his sister Marie called him a “good person” but added he “doesn’t talk a lot about his feelings”.
      READ MORE ON BENJAMIN MENDY
      Mendy denies charges including seven counts of rape.
      The Chester crown court trial was adjourned.
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      Benjamin Mendy claims he asked ‘rape victims’ directly if they wanted to have sex ‘to avoid dates or conversation’

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      BENJAMIN Mendy claimed he asked his alleged rape victims if they wanted to have sex to avoid dates or conversation, a court heard. The Manchester City footballer, 28, was asked about his attitude towards sex at the time the offences are said to have taken place.
      Benjamin Mendy was asked about his attitude to women todayCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Mendy said: ‘I was trying to be more direct’Credit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Mendy said: “I was trying to be more direct to avoid conversation or go on dates.
      “That’s why I was quick and direct if they wanted to have sex, to avoid all that.”
      Timothy Kray KC, prosecuting, during a second day of cross-examination at Chester Crown Court, put it to the Premier League player that he does not see women as individual people and thinks normal rules do not apply to him so he gets it “terribly wrong” in believing they are consenting to sex.
      Mendy admitted he regrets his partying lifestyle and told jurors he is “crazy” and that his life was like being on a “fast train” that kept “going and going” until he was arrested and had time to think in jail.
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      The 28-year-old French international is accused of being a “predator” who turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game, regularly going clubbing in Manchester before holding “after-parties” where young women were invited back to a city centre apartment or his Cheshire mansion and sexually assaulted.
      He denies rape and sexual assaults on six women and told the jury any sexual contact was always consensual.
      One rape complainant has claimed Mendy told her having sex with him was a “privilege” and he had had sex with 10,000 women.
      Mr Kray asked Mendy: “You didn’t really see them as people, just things to be used for sex.
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      “That’s how you did see them and how you would get it terribly wrong about whether they were consenting or not?”
      Mendy replied: “No.”
      The jury heard that, during the pandemic, the flat Mendy rented in Manchester and his home, The Spinney, in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, were used for lockdown-busting parties, to prey on young women.
      Mr Kray continued: “Did you think the rules did not apply to you? You had parties because you had this lust for sex?”
      Mendy said: “No. At the time I was just partying. I was not thinking that well.”
      Mr Kray said: “You were a danger to women, weren’t you? Because you did not see any consequences of breaking really important rules?”
      Mendy said: “No, never. Having a social life, I did lots of things.”
      The jurors were shown a CCTV clip of Mendy in a nightclub, dancing with women and holding his crotch.
      Mr Kray said: “That’s what you thought about at the time – what’s in your pants – and you had sex with them no matter what they thought.”
      Mendy denies seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young women.
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      His co-accused, Louis Saha Matturie, 41, of Eccles, Salford, denies six counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault relating to seven young women.
      The trial continues. More

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      Benjamin Mendy admits telling ‘rape victim’ he’d ‘kidnap’ her before ‘confronting her in shower’

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      BENJAMIN Mendy told his rape trial today he whispered to an alleged victim “I’m going to kidnap you” as she danced with her boyfriend in a club.The Manchester City star also said “we can have what we wanted” – meaning sex – after he discovered her showering at his home.
      Benjamin Mendy’s evidence is continuingCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Mendy, 28, told jurors he met the complainant, named Woman One in court, while recovering from an injury in Barcelona in 2017.
      Around a year later, she joined him on a night out in Manchester where the footballer claims they “flirted” and “danced together”.
      He claimed they were “both smiling” when he whispered “I am going to kidnap you” her as she danced with her boyfriend, who was one of Mendy’s pals.
      The group all headed back to his mansion where Woman One claims he grabbed her and attempted to rape her on a bed.
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      But the footballer said today she flirted with him and they began touching each other after he saw her coming from the shower looking “sexy”.
      He told Chester Crown Court the woman then turned him down for sex as she had a boyfriend.
      Mendy told her boyfriend was “fine with that” – causing her to become “upset”.
      He said: “I realise it is disrespectful and bad, I asked him if it was OK if I tried to have sex with her. He told me yes.”
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      The left-back said he later arranged for his driver to take her to the train station.
      He was also asked about a second alleged victim, woman Two, who claims he raped her three times at his home.
      Mendy told the court they did not have sex but he was left feeling “confused and shocked” when she texted his co-accused Louis Saha Matturie about what she thought happened.
      His second day of evidence comes after Mendy yesterday told 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 and admitted he is “no Brad Pitt.
      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 has been described as a “predator” who “turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game”.
      He 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 isolated 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 is on trial with co-defendant 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.
      Read More on The Sun
      Both men say if any sex did take place with women or girls it was consensual.
      The trial continues.
      Mendy is accused of raping women at his mansionCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      The footballer denies the chargesCredit: AP:Associated Press More

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      Benjamin Mendy to take the stand TODAY as he denies seven counts of rape against four women

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      BENJAMIN Mendy will give evidence today for the first time at his alleged rape trial.The Man City star has been accused of being a “predator” who “turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game”.
      Benjamin Mendy will give evidence todayCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      He is accused of seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young women.
      Mendy, 28, will take to the witness stand today at Chester Crown Court.
      The French international will be using an interpreter to give his evidence.
      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.
      Mendy denies the charges against himCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia More

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      Kurt Zouma finally breaks silence over cat-kicking shame as West Ham defender opens up on ‘great remorse’

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      KURT ZOUMA has spoken out on his cat-kicking shame, admitting: “I have great remorse”.The West Ham defender pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal after a disturbing video emerged in February.
      Kurt Zouma is apologetic but says he is ‘trying to be happy’ – nine months after the video of him attacking a cat was posted onlineCredit: Rex
      The football world was shocked when this clip went publicCredit: Supplied collect
      Zouma was fined £250k by West Ham and admitted two counts of causing suffering after he was vilified for ill-treatment of a pet catCredit: Supplied collect
      Zouma, 27, was captured on camera kicking his pet cat in the abdomen and slapping it on the head at his Essex home, and was later sentenced to 180 hours of community service.
      The Hammers released a statement that said: “Kurt admitted at the earliest opportunity that what he did was wrong. He has apologised without reservation.”
      Zouma briefly apologised after the video’s release, but speaking openly for the first time since his sentencing in June, he said: “It’s been a difficult spell for me and my family.
      “Obviously, I have done something very bad and I apologise again for what I’ve done. I know it was very tough for people to watch and to see that and obviously I feel very, very sorry.
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      “I have great remorse about it and now I’m trying to move on with my family and looking ahead. I learned from it, that’s the most important thing, I would say.
      “Obviously, I had support from many, many people around me who helped me stay focused on football and I try to stay happy.”
      In his short statement back in February, Zouma explained: “Our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy. This behaviour was an isolated incident that will not happen again.”
      Zouma was later fined £250k by West Ham – donated to animal charities – and banned from keeping cats for five years, with the RSPCA taking away his pets after its investigation under the Animal Welfare Act.
      Most read in Football
      However, boss David Moyes decided against dropping Zouma from his squad, and the Frenchman played in a match less than 24 hours after the video was made public.
      Asked how important the club’s support has been, Zouma added: “They have been unbelievable with me, the support that I received from my teammates, from the staff.
      “Even from the fans, they have been unreal, and they helped me stay focused on the game, to try to do my best on the pitch all the time and.
      “I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done. This club is like my family.”
      Read More on The Sun
      The video was initially posted on Snapchat by his younger brother Yoan, 24, who was ordered to carry out 140 hours of community service after pleading guilty to one count of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring his brother to commit an offence.
      Yoan was also suspended by his club Dagenham & Redbridge for almost a month. More

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      in Boxing

      Heavyweight boxer arrested for ‘trafficking 22 TONS of cocaine worth $1BILLION into US’

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      GORAN GOGIC has been charged with trafficking over $1billion worth of cocaine via the United States of America.The Montenegrin former boxer was arrested while trying to board a flight from Miami to Zurich on Sunday night.
      Goran Gogic boxed professionally between 2001 and 2012Credit: Getty
      The 2019 drugs bust was one of the biggest in US historyCredit: Getty
      Gogic, 43, was indicted by a grand jury in New York after one of the biggest drug busts in US history.
      He has been charged with three counts of breaching the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act – as well as a further count of conspiracy.
      The four counts each carry with them a minimum 10-year jail term.
      And Gogic could even receive a life sentence after being charged with trafficking over 22 tons worth of cocaine from commercial cargo ships in Philadelphia three years ago.
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      The prosecution claimed that the cocaine was transported from Europe to Colombia via US ports.
      It is also alleged that Gogic looked after logistics of the scheme – coordinating with all sides on behalf of his cartels back in Europe.
      Following Gogic’s arrest and indictment, US attorney Breon Pearce said: “The arrest and indictment of Gogic, a former boxer allegedly responsible for trafficking a staggering amount of cocaine, more than 20 tons, which he attempted to move through US ports, is a resounding victory for law enforcement.
      “The meticulous planning by the defendant and his co-conspirators failed to take into account the federal agents whose hard work resulted in this body blow to the organisation and individuals responsible for distributing massive quantities of cocaine.”
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      DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarantino III added: “A billion dollars’ (£870million) worth of cocaine seized was a heavy hit for Gogic’s criminal network, but nothing heavier than his arrest last night.
      “As evident in this case, criminal organisations will go to various extremes to make a profit off the sale of poison.
      “Due to the hard work by local, state and federal law enforcement, 20 tons of poison was intercepted en route from Colombia to Europe.
      “Gogic’s arrest underscores law enforcement’s commitment to bringing to justice those responsible for causing the most harm to our communities.”
      Gogic boxed professionally 27 times as a heavyweight between 2001 and 2012.
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      He hung up his gloves with a record of 21 wins, four defeats and two draws.
      The former fighter last took to the ring in July 2012, when he defeated little-known 2-17 Romanian Liviu Ungureanu in Germany.
      Over 22 tons of cocaine was seizedCredit: Getty More

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      Ally McCoist at centre of £100k legal battle after Rangers hero’s son left man, 26, with fractured skull in car crash

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      FOOTIE idol Ally McCoist is at the centre of a £500,000 court action after insurers launched a bid to recover cash paid out to the crash victim of the Rangers legend’s son.The crash left Stephan Murdoch, 26, with a fractured skull and brain bleed and he was given a substantial compo payout by insurers, Aviva, after the victim took Argyll McCoist to court in a £500,000 legal action.
      Son Argyll McCoist admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving
      Mr Murdoch suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, in December 2016.
      Details of how much insurers eventually paid Mr Murdoch in the January 2020 out of court settlement that followed the half a million pound claim have never been disclosed.
      But it is understood insurers are pursuing Ally and Argyll, 24, for at least £100,000 at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
      It is not clear why the former Gers hero is being sued.
      Last night a source said: “It’s not rare for insurance companies to try and get back the money they lost in an earlier case by going after the person who was at fault.
      “But it’s curious they are not going after Argyll alone given that he was the one convicted over the crash.”
      But it is thought the legal case might seek to recover legal fees racked up during the previous compensation claim case, the cost of any damage that may have been done to the £20,000 Audi 1 S line TDI McCoist was driving at the time and the compensation paid out to his victim.
      In September 2018, Paisley Sheriff Court heard how McCoist, of Houston, Renfrewshire, raced through a red light before driving off in December 2016.
      He admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
      Most read in The Sun
      Mr Murdoch suffered a fractured skull and a brain injury following the incident.
      He also spent a week in hospital and had to use crutches for six months after McCoist crashed into him on a pedestrian crossing.
      McCoist was sentenced to 280 hours of unpaid work and he was also electronically tagged on a restriction of liberty order for six months.
      He was also banned from driving.
      The £500,000 being sued for was to cover loss of past and future earnings, the cost of medical treatment and the loss of pension benefits, as well as the costs of a “dietician and personal trainer”.
      Aviva said it could not comment on a live case.
      Ally McCoist has been contacted for comment.
      Lawyers for the McCoists declined to comment.
      The hearing is due to take place at the Court of Session, in Edinburgh, on November 16.
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