Manchester City defender Mendy denied bail after appearing in court to face charges of rape and sexual assault

Peter McVitie

Manchester City defender Mendy denied bail after appearing in court to face charges of rape and sexual assault image

Benjamin Mendy has been denied bail after he arrived at court with a police escort on Friday to face charges of rape and sexual assault.

It was confirmed on Thursday that the Manchester City defender was being held in custody and is accused of four counts of rape and one of sexual assault.

The 27-year-old arrived at Chester Magistrates' Court in a security van with a police car alongside. His case was heard in the early afternoon, at which the district judge ruled that he should be held in jail until next month.

What happened on Friday?

Mendy's case was adjourned until September 10, when he will appear at Chester Crown Court. No pleas have been entered.

The judge denied the footballer bail, meaning he will be held in police custody until that date.

Mendy faces six charges in total. The France international is charged with three counts of rape on a date in October 2020 and one of raping a woman this week, as well as one count of sexual assault on a woman in January 2021. The left-back is also charged with breaching bail conditions.

What have Manchester City said?

Mendy has been suspended by City as a result of the charges.

The Premier League side said in a statement: "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."

Mendy at Man City

The full-back joined the English club from Monaco in 2017 in a deal worth a reported £52 million. He has struggled with injuries throughout his time in Manchester, however, and has been limited to just 75 appearances in all competitions.

Mendy played the full 90 minutes against Leicester in the Community Shield this month and started their opening game of the Premier League campaign against Tottenham.

He was an unused substitute for the 5-0 win against Norwich last week.

Peter McVitie