Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy was 'shocked' to be accused of rape, trial hears

Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy told police he was "shocked" at being arrested for rape, a court heard.

Mendy, 28, was interviewed by police multiple times in relation to a number of rape and sexual assault allegations, Chester Crown Court was told.

The Premier League footballer and his friend and 'fixer' Louis Saha Matturie, 41, deny all charges at their trial, now in its 12th week.

The footballer gave a number of prepared statements to detectives followed by "no comment" interviews on instruction by his solicitor, the court heard.

Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, read the prepared statement Mendy gave in relation to the first of the young women he is alleged to have raped.

The woman, aged 24, claims Mendy raped her three times at his home The Spinney, in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, in October 2020.

Mendy said in the statement he had been out for a few drinks to a bar with Matturie and others in Alderley Edge near his home and met some girls who were invited back to his house.

While there he saw one girl using her phone, which visitors had been instructed not to do, to video his home.

Mendy told police: "I asked her to delete the video. She gave me her phone and I deleted it.

"As I did so a photo of her with no clothes on came up on screen. She said she had more photos of her like that and we agreed to go upstairs to my bedroom so she could show me more."

In his bedroom Mendy said she showed him more naked photos and took her top off and they started kissing.

Mendy said the woman gave him oral sex and agreed they would "play around" but she did not want to go any further.

Later she left with another girl and he ended up having sex with one of the 24-year-old's friends from the bar, who stayed the night in his bed.

He told detectives: "I'm shocked to be accused of rape and false imprisonment. All sexual activity between me and her was completely consensual.

"I did nothing to prevent her from leaving."

Mendy gave a further three prepared statements to police in relation to separate women he had allegedly raped where he told detectives the sex was consensual.

He denies seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young women.

Matturie, of Eccles, Salford, denies six counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault relating to seven young women.

Both men say if any sex did take place with women or girls it was consensual.

None of the women involved, as sexual assault complainants, can be identified.

The trial was adjourned until Friday morning.