The French defender was charged with seven rapes and one sexual assault.
The French international defender of the Manchester City Benjamin Mendy, Charged with seven rapes and one sexual assault, he was released on bail by the British justice this Friday with precautionary measures that include the delivery of your passport.
Judge Patrick Thompson decided in a hearing in the Court of Chester, in the north-west of England, to release the 27-year-old player, world champion in 2018, who had been in preventive detention since the end of August.
Mendy, who was charged by five women with seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault, has been in pretrial detention since he was arrested and charged on August 26.
The events date back to the period between October 2020 and August 2021 and one of the women was a minor.
Although it was initially scheduled for January 24, his trial will not be held until June 27 or August 1 for procedural reasons, the magistrate said.
Mendy is due to appear again for a hearing later this month when his bail will be re-examined.
The footballer went to Manchester City in 2017 for 52 million pounds (60 million euros, 70 million dollars) from Monaco becoming the most expensive defender in history.
He has played 75 games with the English team, with whom he has a year and a half left on his contract, but, despite being considered one of the rising figures among the world’s left backs, his playing time has been limited by injuries and loss of form.
The last of his 10 calls for France took place in November 2019. The left-back won the World Cup with France in 2018. After his arrest, he was suspended by the Premier League champion club pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
Mendy was held at Altcourse Prison in Liverpool before being recently transferred to a Manchester prison. If he pleads not guilty and is convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Off the court his life has not been exemplary. The gamer has already filled the pages of the British tabloid press when his Lamborghini Avenador SVJ, worth more than 500,000 euros ($ 587,000), was seized at the end of 2020. He was driving it without a license or insurance. (D)
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