Football: Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy to spend two weeks in prison

Benjamin Mendy in action for Manchester City against Leicester City in April. Photo / AP

Manchester City footballer, Benjamin Mendy, has been remanded in custody for two weeks after appearing at Chester Magistrates' Court charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The 27-year-old was charged with the offences on Thursday and held in custody ahead of yesterday's (Fri) court appearance.

Lawyers for the player applied for him to be released on bail, but a district judge remanded him in custody, ahead of a Crown Court appearance on September 10.

The French born player appeared in the dock dressed in black jogging bottoms and a red hoodie.

He stood as the charges were read out and relayed to him by an interpreter and spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

Details of the charges he faces were also set out to the court.

Mr Mendy is charged with three counts of rape which allegedly took place during a party at his Cheshire mansion on October 11 last year.

He was arrested in November in connection with the alleged offences and bailed by police.

Mr Mendy is further charged with sexually assaulting a woman at a party at his home on January 2 when most of the country was in Tier 4 lockdown.

The final charge relates to the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl, which prosecutors say took place on Monday this week, again at his home in Prestbury.

The footballer was also initially charged with breaking his bail conditions following his arrest last year but that charge was withdrawn in court.

His court appearance lasted less than an hour and no pleas were entered.

Prosecutor Debbie Byrne said: "There are three female victims who allege serious sexual offences."

The court heard the alleged attacks happened during parties held at the player's Cheshire home and that the first complainant had been invited to attend.

The left back was born in a suburb of Paris and began his career in France with Le Havre before moving to Marseille and then Monaco.

He joined Manchester City in July 2017 on a five-year contract for a reported £52m fee - a world record for a defender.

He was also a member of France's 2018 World Cup winning squad but only played for 40 minutes during the tournament.

Announcing his suspension from Manchester City a spokesman 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."

Mr Mendy was at the centre of one the first coronavirus scares to hit football, when in March 2020, a member of his family took ill at his home.

In 2019 he was reprimanded by his manager, Pep Guardiola, after he was spotted in a nightclub just hours before he was due to attend a training session.

He was also fined last year for breaching lockdown rules by hosting a gathering at his home.

The player has also suffered a number of injuries which have kept him out of the game for long periods.

In 2018 he was banned from driving for a year after racking up 24 points on his licence.