MANCHESTER City star Benjamin Mendy has been charged with a fresh rape count on top of the six he is already facing.
The left-back, 27, is now accused of seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault against five women aged over 16.
Mendy appeared at Chester Crown Court today from custody where it emerged he has been charged with a further count of rape.
The fresh offence relates to a new complainant and is alleged to have taken place in July this year.
Mendy appeared in the dock alongside Louis Saha Matturie, 40, who is accused of six counts of rape and one sexual assault.
Both men were remanded in custody ahead of a hearing on January 7.
A provisional trial date was moved from January to either June 27 or August 1 next year.
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France international Mendy has been in custody since his first charge in August.
The £52million star was last month charged with two fresh rape counts, which allegedly took place in Macclesfield.
One was carried out on August 23 – just three days before he was charged with the previous rapes, it is said.
It is the second rape Mendy allegedly committed while on police bail after his arrest in November.
In October, Mendy was denied bail by a judge at a 50-minute hearing at Chester Crown Court. It was the third bail application Mendy had made.
He was charged on August 26 with raping a woman three times at Cheshire mansion in October last year.
He allegedly raped a second woman while he was on police bail in August.
The footballer is also accused of sexually assault in early January 2021.
Premier League champions Man City spent a reported £49.2million signing Mendy from French side Monaco in 2017.
He last played for the club on August 15 during their 1-0 defeat to Tottenham at the start of the season.
In September last year City boss Pep Guardiola revealed Mendy would be out of the game for at least a month due to an injury.
In a statement, the club said: “Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin Mendy has been suspended pending an investigation.
“The matter is subject to a legal process and the club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete.”
SOURCE: THE SUN
