Benjamin Mendy: Jury retires to consider verdicts

Jurors in the trial of rape-accused footballer Benjamin Mendy have retired to take into account their verdicts.

The Manchester City footballer and his buddy Louis Saha Matturie, 41, were on trial at Chester Crown Court since 10 August, accused of various sex offences against women.

Prosecutors claim Mr Mendy, 28, was a “predator” whom switched the search for females into a “game”.

All offences are denied by both guys and say any sex with females ended up being consensual.

Judge Steven Everett, the Recorder of Chester, told the eight men and four women in the jury that if verdicts was not reached this week, because of the court perhaps not sitting on Friday or the week that is after they are going to get back to court on 19 December to keep deliberations.

“there’s absolutely no stress of time,” he added. “Don’t feel under any force.”

The prosecution claim a true amount of young women had been raped or intimately assaulted during post-nightclubbing “after events” at Mr Mendy’s £4.7m home near Prestbury in Cheshire and at a Manchester flat.

Mr Matturie is purported to are the footballer’s “fixer”, who arranged for females to attend the ongoing parties after nights invested drinking in VIP lounges at Manchester nightclubs.

Mr Mendy told the jury that he now regretted their partying lifestyle, but denied ever forcing any girl into intercourse.

Thirteen women had accused the defendants of sexual offences.

In the middle of the trial, the judge ordered the jury to find the defendants not liable on all charges concerning among the women, following a “sex video” emerged of her”willing that is having with Mr Matturie at any given time she reported that he had raped her.

Mr Mendy denies seven counts of rape, one count of tried rape and another count of sexual assault against six women.

Mr Matturie, of Eccles, Salford, denies six counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault associated with seven females.