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      Benjamin Mendy is a ‘serial rapist’ who ‘fooled the nation like Jimmy Savile’, court hears

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      BENJAMIN Mendy hid his “dark side” behind his celebrity like paedo Jimmy Savile, a court heard today.The Man City star, 28, has been accused of being a “predator” who “turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game”.
      Benjamin Mendy is charged with a string of offencesCredit: AFP
      He allegedly raped and sexually assaulted six young women in total at his isolated home.
      Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, today accused Mendy of hiding behind his fame to carry out the alleged crimes.
      In his closing submissions at Chester Crown Court, he compared this behaviour to one of Britain worst ever sex offenders Savile, who had “fooled the nation”.
      But Eleanor Laws KC, for Mendy, told jurors the complainants were “adult women making real life adult choices”.
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      She added: “The reality is this is one word against the another.
      “There’s been no witnesses or films of any of these complaints that are left to show you what has happened.”
      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.
      Most read in The Sun
      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 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.
      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 seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young womenCredit: AFP More

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      Underworld crooks who stole the 1966 World Cup finally unmasked – but did Britain’s most powerful men let them off?

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      THE two villains suspected of masterminding the theft of the World Cup in 1966 have remained under the radar for 56 years.But as Gareth Southgate and his England squad prepare to bring it home again, The Sun unmasks the crooks who attempted one of the past century’s most notorious thefts.
      England captain Bobby Moore holds the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy as he sits on his teammate’s shouldersCredit: Popperfoto – Getty
      Thief Edward Betchley was the only man convincted over the break-inCredit: Supplied
      Underworld fence Bernard ‘The Pole’ MakowskiCredit: Supplied
      We can reveal how crooked Hatton Garden diamond dealer Gerald Sattin and underworld fence Bernard “The Pole” Makowski were strongly suspected of being architects of the plot to steal the Jules Rimet trophy.
      Our investigations also expose how the pair — both now dead — escaped scot free after an apparent Downing Street deal to retrieve the cup.
      Historic confidential police intelligence documents list both men as associates of Edward Betchley, the only one of the three to be convicted of the theft of the cup from a display case at an exhibition in London.
      The files reveal a witness saw Sattin, then 34, at the exhibition at Westminster’s Methodist Central Hall.
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      The witness, a solicitor who asked for anonymity, urged police “to make as full an investigation into this line of inquiry as I believe this to be more than a coincidence”.
      Professional thief Betchley, also now dead, was arrested four days after the theft following a ransom attempt — but the cup remained missing.
      Betchley told police he was acting on behalf of a man he knew only by the nickname The Pole.
      A Scotland Yard index of nicknames turned up Warsaw-born Makowski, then 40.
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      The World Cup remained missing for a week until it was found in a South London hedge by a dog called Pickles — and England went on to win it in July that year.
      We can now reveal that before Pickles became an unlikely hero, a deal was hatched for the trophy’s return, backed by Downing Street.
      It led to charges being reduced against Betchley and no action being taken against Sattin and Makowski.
      A previously undisclosed document in Betchley’s police file reveals how Michael Halls, Principal Private Secretary to PM Harold Wilson, contacted the Director of Public Prosecutions over the case.
      Former Scotland Yard Flying Squad commander John O’Connor said last night: “There was clearly a deal with the DPP, police and Betchley to get the cup back.
      “But this document strongly suggests for the first time that it was done at the behest of Harold Wilson.
      “He wouldn’t get his hands dirty, but he would let his secretary do exactly that. It was skulduggery but it was also in the public interest to get the cup back.
      “It was even more important for Wilson, as it was days away from the General Election. Finding the cup could well have affected the outcome of the election.”
      ‘It was skulduggery’
      The 14in, gold-plated Jules Rimet trophy of the winged goddess Nike had arrived in London under tight security on January 5, 1966.
      The following day it was on display at the live TV screening of the tournament draw in West London.
      Two officials from previous winners Brazil handed the cup to Fifa president Sir Stanley Rous, who quipped: “Whether they leave it here permanently or just temporarily will be seen in July.”
      His words came back to haunt him when it was stolen on March 20.
      The FA had loaned it to stamp company Stanley Gibbons for an exhibition.
      The show was closed on the Sunday of the theft but the building was open for Methodist services.
      Gerald Sattin and girlfriend Maureen Flanagan in Las Vegas in the early 1970sCredit: Supplied
      Thames boatman David Corbett with Pickles, the collie who found the newspaper-wrapped cup under a bush in his owner’s front garden in South LondonCredit: PA:Press Association
      Two thieves broke into the first-floor hall, where the cup was on display, and the theft was discovered just after noon.
      With 11 days until the General Election, Harold Wilson, who believed a successful World Cup tournament could rescue the ailing Pound, told Home Secretary Roy Jenkins to call in the Yard’s top brass.
      Files reveal Jenkins spoke to then Met commissioner Sir Joseph Simpson and Commander Ernie Millen, who put his best thief-taker on the case, Tommy Butler, Scourge of the Great Train Robbers.
      There were two witnesses. Churchgoing Margaret Coombes spotted Betchley on the first floor at 11am and picked him out at an identity parade following his arrest.
      One of the guards, Frank Hudson, spotted a second man loitering near where the World Cup was on display.
      The suspect was never traced, though his description bore a striking resemblance to Makowski.
      The next day, the solicitor witness, who The Sun is not naming, came forward to say he had spoken to Sattin at the exhibition.
      Files show married father-of-three Sattin was questioned by police and admitted being at the exhibition.
      Sattin had a taste for high living, glamorous women, luxury cars and crime.
      Five years after the World Cup theft he began an 18-month affair with former Sun Page 3 model Maureen Flanagan.
      Now 81, Maureen said: “I knew nothing about him being involved with stealing the World Cup. He wasn’t even a football fan.
      “After we split up he was jailed for fraud and he had been to prison before he met me but it was not something he ever spoke about. All I’d say is that if you met him you’d trust him with the world — if not the World Cup.”
      As police questioned Sattin they were already moving in on Betchley, a known associate of his, who had anonymously called FA chief Joe Mears the day after the theft.
      He promised to send a parcel that would “be of interest”.
      England manager Sir Alf Ramsay, captain Bobby Moore and teammates at a lunch the day after they won the trophyCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Two days later the lid of the World Cup was delivered with a typed ransom demand for £15,000 — around £300,000 now — for its return.
      Mears rang the police and Detective Inspector Jack Buggy posed as his assistant and spoke twice to the crook by phone.
      Investigators traced the second call to a phone box near Betchley’s South London home.
      DI Buggy met the crook — Betchley — at Battersea Park and showed him “bundles of cash” in a briefcase — though it was mostly scraps of paper.
      Former soldier and dock labourer Betchley, 47, got in DI Buggy’s car and told him to drive, but in Camberwell he got spooked and ran. He was quickly captured by Buggy.
      A search for the cup at his home proved fruitless and raids on the nearby Camberwell homes of two associates, brothers Sidney and Reginald Cugullere, drew a blank.
      Relatives later said the brothers had hidden the cup in a coal shed.
      Betchley denied two charges of theft and also demanding money with menaces.
      He told police he had been offered £500 to act as an intermediary by “The Pole”, calling the nameless figure “one of his customers”.
      Two days after his arrest, magistrates bailed Betchley on a surety of £5,000, worth £100k today.
      The next day Pickles found the World Cup wrapped in newspaper in the front garden of a house in Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, South London.
      His owner, Thames barge worker David Corbett, lived in a flat at the address.
      He went on to claim £6,000 in insurance rewards — six times the amount England’s players each received for winning the cup.
      A memo marked “confidential” and obtained by The Sun casts a further cloud of mystery around the case.
      The empty display where the cup had been keptCredit: PA:Press Association
      Thieves removed eight screws from a door to get into the exhibition hallCredit: PA
      It stated that Harold Wilson’s PPS Michael Halls asked that an unspecified matter “be given immediate consideration . . . ” and added that it was being copied to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
      Then on April 12, just over a fortnight after the cup was found, the more serious offences of theft were dropped against Betchley, despite a wealth of evidence against him.
      He later admitted two counts of demanding money with menaces and was jailed for two years.
      Police took no further action in the case.
      Ex-Flying Squad chief Mr O’Connor said: “This new information strongly suggests Sattin, Makowski, Betchley the thief and other associates were all in it together.
      “Sattin planned it and used Betchley as a professional thief, probably by going through Makowski. It was a murky old world in those days and it doesn’t get much murkier than this.
      “There was clearly a deal with Betchley and the police agreed by the DPP and which went through Harold Wilson’s private secretary.
      “We were being embarrassed by these criminals in front of the world and they would have done anything to get the cup back. It would have soured the whole World Cup tournament if the trophy had not been found.”
      The trophy went back to Brazil in 1970 when they won the World Cup in Mexico.
      As three-times winners, they got to keep it permanently — though it was stolen again in 1983 and has never been found. Its replacement, the Fifa World Cup Trophy, has been awarded ever since.
      After it was pinched in London, a replica was commissioned from London silversmith George Bird, who was sworn to secrecy.
      The copy was sold at Sotheby’s to a mystery bidder in 1997 for £240,500 — almost 25 times its estimated value.
      Read More on The Sun
      It later emerged the bidder was a representative of the FA acting on behalf of Fifa, whose secretary Sepp Blatter authorised the purchase at any price.
      The copy was later given to the National Football Museum in Manchester, where it remains on display.
      Harold Wilson believed a successful World Cup tournament could rescue the ailing PoundCredit: Rex
      The 14in, gold-plated Jules Rimet trophy of the winged goddess Nike arrived in London under tight security on January 5, 1966Credit: PA:Empics Sport More

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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.”
      Most read in The Sun
      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.
      Read More on The Sun
      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 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.
      Most read in The Sun
      “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.
      Read More on The Sun
      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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      I went undercover in nastiest football firm and fought fans if they broke golden rule – but there was a gutting twist

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      IN the run up to the 1990 World Cup all eyes were on the England team – not because of the players, but the thugs that followed them.The Italia ‘90 tournament ended a decade that saw football violence in the UK reach epic heights with warring fan groups – known as firms – leaving English supporters with a tarnished reputation that was feared around the world.
      Italia ’90 saw running battles involving English fansCredit: Alamy
      James Bannon blagged his way into the Millwall firmCredit: Channel 4
      As an undercover cop who infiltrated the London firm the Millwall Bushwackers in a doomed reconnaissance mission ahead of the tournament, James Bannon was in the thick of the action.
      Now the former Met officer – who appears in the Channel 4 documentary Italia ‘90: Saving English Football – tells The Sun how he gained the trust of Millwall hooligans and found himself in the midst of terrifying violence.
      “There were clubs that had reputations and you knew you were going to go there and meet opposing supporters that would want to have a fight,” he says.
      “But if I was going to be any good at what I did, I wasn’t going to be in the family enclosure. So yes, I got involved in the violence.
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      “I never incited or started a fight, but I was there to gather evidence against nasty, horrible people who brought violence to football, to take them off the streets and make stadiums safer places for people to go and watch.
      “It’s a fine line and undercover policing is not an exact science.
      “You are thinking on your feet every second because you have to try and stay within the law, while being convincing at what you are.
      “I would never run at somebody and hit them. But if somebody was coming at me who wanted to hit me then, trust me, I’m going to hit them first.”
      Most read in Football
      James was just 21 when he was asked to blag his way onto the terraces in 1987.
      Presenting himself as Wandsworth painter and decorator Jim Ford, he started his mission by becoming a regular at a pub in the Old Kent Road, South London, which was favoured by Millwall fans.
      “We went there for lunchtimes all summer, when there was no football on,” he says.
      “We got to know the bar staff and the locals so when the football season started in late August, nobody gave us a second look and that gave us credibility.
      “The landlord of the pub was one of Millwall’s top boys so we also got to know him, and it moved on from there.”
      Genned up on his Millwall history, so he could pass as a fan, James says he was helped by the fact that the club was doing well and many new faces were turning up at the games.
      “We had to gain people’s trust and I was fortunate because I was only 21,” he says.
      “I played that to my advantage, telling them I hadn’t been when I was younger, and I was now going with my ‘brother in law’, who was actually the officer I was working with. No one suspected someone so young and fresh-faced of being a copper.”
      The undercover job was a reconnaissance mission ahead of the World CupCredit: Getty
      James was just 21 when he took on the missionCredit: Channel 4
      The former cop appears in the Channel 4 documentaryCredit: Channel 4
      Highbury brawl
      James faced violent mobs on many occasions – and also came close to arrest himself during a legendary clash between Millwall and Arsenal fans after an FA cup match, in January 1988.
      He was among Millwall fans in the North Bank stand at Highbury – traditionally reserved for Arsenal – who started a mass brawl which ended in 41 supporters being arrested,
      “That was the most memorable,” he says. “We met up with the landlord of the pub and ended up in the middle of the Arsenal crowd with 15 of Millwall’s top hooligans, me and my sergeant.
      “I went from the middle of North Bank, being punched and kicked en route, and punching and kicking back, on to the sanctuary of the pitch, where I was then arrested.
      “But the copper was what we used to call a ‘Cake-eater’ – an officer that drove a desk in the week and did football on Saturdays for overtime – who was probably more nervous and scared than I was.
      “Instead of taking me down the tunnel, which is where you usually go if you get nicked, he led me the wrong way, towards 10,000 Millwall.
      “As we walked I got buoyed by 10,000 Millwall fans singing, screaming and pointing at me and he got more nervous, and weakened his grip.
      “I managed to break free and dive in the crowd – so that upped my credibility with the firm.”
      The FA cup match in 1988 ended in carnageCredit: PA
      Millwall started trouble in Arsenal’s standCredit: PA
      Ambush
      On another occasion, James travelled to an away game in Leeds on the train – and was ambushed by rival fans on the return journey.
      He says: “There was a massive fight. I was scared for my life. It was my first away match and it was a baptism of fire.
      “I got hit, punched and kicked a few times but luckily, never sustained any serious injuries.
      “We learned two things from that day – Leeds are pretty tasty and never travel on the football special.
      “After that we drove to away matches.”
      The Channel 4 documentary looks at the run up to Italia ‘90, and how Italian and UK authorities attempted to control the threat posed by English hooligans by managing ticket sales, moving the opening match to Sardinia, drafting in armed police and even banning alcohol sales on match days.
      Through interviews with police, footballers and former firm members, it examines the “subculture” of hooliganism, with disenfranchised young men finding a place to belong.
      Riaz Khan, from the Leicester Baby Squad, says he was involved in fights before and after matches and adds: “You were buzzing for the rest of the week, until the following Saturday. It was great.
      “I’d never had this sense of belonging to anything cos I was an Asian kid in a white school. I saw the football hooligans had their own sense of identity, it wasn’t about colour.”
      Gary ‘Boatsy’ Clarke, who belonged to Notts Forest Executive Crew, says the hooligans were proud of their international reputation.
      “England was the number one firm,” he says.
      “I was down as one of England’s main hooligans. We were looked upon as the devil – especially the firm that went to Italia ‘90.”
      Operation aborted
      Sadly for James, the Met Police pulled the plug on his undercover operation in 1989, a year before the tournament, after trials against West Ham and Chelsea fans collapsed when scientists cast doubt on evidence gathered by undercover officers.
      “They employed people to do some of this work who weren’t very good and some of the evidence had been made up,” he claims.
      “A decision was taken by senior politicians that they couldn’t stomach another trial and lose face so all of the operations were disbanded overnight.
      “It meant that two and a half years of my life were a complete and utter waste of f***ing time.
      “We went from being doing a pretty elite job, which required huge sacrifices, both emotionally and personally, to ‘Thanks very much. Now go back to Orpington and drive a panda car.’”
      Disillusioned, James left the force and ended up writing a book, Running With The Firm, and the 1995 film I.D. about his experiences.
      He has since been an actor, run a successful property company and a short-lived commercial airline, as well as starring in a one man stand up show.
      Read More on The Sun
      Although he is frustrated his undercover operation resulted in no arrests, he says he’s not sure his team would have much impact on Italia ‘90, where British fans were involved in running battles in the street and riots after England’s three matches in Cagliari.
      “I don’t think we’d have made a huge difference,” says James. “All we’d have been able to do was give them a heads up a little bit quicker and let the authorities know who was there and likely to cause trouble, but we were never given the opportunity to justify what we were doing.”
      Italia ‘90: Saving English Football continues tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
      A bloodied England supporter in 1990Credit: Daily Mirror More

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      Cocaine use at football matches leaves League One side’s stadium toilets like a ‘launderette’ full of powder, MPs told

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      COCAINE use at football is leaving stadium toilets like a “launderette” full of powder, MPs were told today.The DCMS committee watched what chairman and Tory MP Julian Knight said were “absolutely shocking” scenes of violence at games at all levels over the past six months.
      Shocking ‘scenes of violence’ in football grounds have been describedCredit: Getty
      And police and stewarding chiefs reinforced the message that the cocktail of drink and drugs was evoking memories of the dark days of the past.
      Peter Houghton, head of operations for the Football Safety Officers Association said: “It’s coming home from all aspects of sport that there has been an increase in cocaine use.
      “A friend of mine who works at Cambridge United said that when he checked the toilets after a match it looked like a launderette – there was so much powder there.
      “Violence at football has always been synonymous with alcohol but it is becoming abundantly clear it’s not just a football issue and affecting different sports.
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      “Now you are not just pointing the finger at alcohol users but are also able to point the finger at drug users.
      “It is clear that one or two of those people in the video have been using drugs and are not drunk.”
      That message was echoed by England and Wales’ top football cop, Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts, who added: “It is not just the UK – we are seeing considerable increase in disorder across Europe after the lifting of pandemic restrictions.
      “We are not anywhere near where we were in the 80s and we need to keep context on things. This is worrying but we are not back as bad as it was.
      Most read in Football
      “Cocaine is certainly a contributing factor to violence in the night-time economy and football. Football is a reflection of wider society.
      “There is clearly an element of organised gangs who set out and wish to engage in violence. It is an unwelcome re-emergence.
      “The concern is that we have younger people involved in this. The concern is that if younger people become involved in it then it is a problem for the next 30 years until we take some remedial action.”
      Ch Con Roberts also pointed out that police forces were able to recoup only £7m of the £47m cost of officers attending matches last season.
      He added: “It’s unfair we only get £7m back when £7m couldn’t buy you a second division full back.”
      Drink and drugs have fuelled the an increase in violence at gamesCredit: Rex 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.
      Read more news
      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.”
      Most read in The Sun
      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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      Former Premier League star turned cop is unrecognisable in new job – and is captain of Britain’s police football team

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      A FORMER Premier League player has swapped the football pitch for the police squad.And he looks completely unrecognisable as an officer of the law – five years on from hanging up his boots.
      Wright, right, spent five years playing for Leicester in the early 2000sCredit: PA:Press Association
      He is now serving as a Leicestershire police officerCredit: SWNS
      Wright driving a police vehicle while on dutyCredit: Home Office YouTube
      Tommy Wright, 47, played as a striker for Leicester between 2001 and 2006 – including one season in the Premier League.
      And he also featured for a host of other clubs including Barnsley, Darlington and Aberdeen.
      Wright, who also received caps for England’s U19 and U20 sides, then went on to manage Darlington between 2017 and 2019.
      But now he has begun a completely new career as a Leicestershire police officer – qualifying through the academy in 2020.
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      And pictures show the ex-attacker looking very different in his police uniform.
      BUT he is still playing football at an amateur level and recently became captain of Britain’s national police team.

      Speaking about being an ex-player and now a policeman, Wright told the Mirror: “Some people have obviously recognised that I played for Leicester. I’ve had it in custody as well, which was so funny.
      “The custody sergeant had a Leicester City face mask on and straight away made a beeline to me as I was reading out the charges.
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      “And then the suspect’s appropriate adult had a Nottingham Forest face covering on, so he said, ‘I’ll tell him about your goal against us’.
      “We had a bit of banter when it was appropriate, which I think can help tense situations like that.
      “You see the initial look on their face when they notice and have a quick joke before getting back to the matter.”
      And Wright believes his football career is a big help to his work with Leicestershire Police.
      Read More on The Sun
      He added: “It’s nice and I feel it does make the job easier as people are more willing to engage.
      “I’m happy to talk football as I will always love it.”
      Wright has played for the national police football teamCredit: SWNS More