Footballer Benjamin Mendy charged with two additional counts of rape
Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been charged with two additional counts of rape, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.
Mendy, of Withinlee Road, Prestbury, Cheshire, was previously charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
The charges relate to four complainants over the age of 16 and the alleged offences are said to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021.
The CPS said it had authorised Cheshire Police to charge Mendy with two additional counts of rape along with Louis Saha Matturie, 40, with two additional counts of rape and one of sexual assault.
The co-accused faces six rape charges in total, along with one count of sexual assault relating to four complainants said to have taken place between March 2021 and August 2021.
Cheshire Police said: "Cheshire Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service would like to remind everyone that criminal proceedings against Matturie and Mendy are live and that they have a right to a fair trial."
The 27-year-old French national has been in custody since he was arrested in August and a number of bail applications have been refused by judges.
He is currently on remand at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool.
Manchester City suspended the left-back in August.
The club said in a statement at the time: "The matter is subject to a legal process and the Club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete."
The club reportedly spent $29.2m to sign him from Monaco in 2017.
He last played for the club on 15 August, when they lost 1-0 to Tottenham.
Mendy will appear in Stockport Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
Both men are scheduled to go on trial on 24 January 2022.
Source: Sky News
