Benjamin Mendy told alleged victim he wanted to kidnap her, jury in rape trial told


Benjamin Mendy attempted to r3pe one woman and r3ped another at his Cheshire home after boasting he'd 'had sex with 10,000 women', a jury heard today. 

Mendy, 28,  is accused of attacking the first woman after she slept with his friend while the second woman was allegedly attacked during a party at the remote mansion. 

The French international, 28, is facing a retrial after he was acquitted in January of a string of s3x attacks. 

He was found not guilty of six rapes and one sexual assault against four women. But the jury in the previous trial could not reach verdicts on the two outstanding charges he still faces. 

Benjamin Aina KC, prosecuting, outlined the case against Mendy to a jury at Chester Crown Court.

He told the jury that footballer would have 'parties and social gatherings' at his home - 'The Spinney', in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, but it was the prosecution's case that on two occasions he 'took advantage' of two female guests, trying to have forced s3x with one and raping the other. 

The jury heard how the first woman had previously met Mendy at a nightclub in Barcelona in October 2017 along with a friend called Diacko. 

Mr. Aina said the woman took a liking to Diacko, with whom she became 'intimate', and they swapped telephone numbers.

The woman - then aged 29 - arranged to meet up with him during a night out in Manchester in October 2018 where she went with Diacko and Mendy to bar.

While there, Mendy is said to have come up behind and told her: 'When he's not looking, I'm gonna kidnap you.'

The woman 'made it clear' she was only interested in Diacko and slept with him when they stayed over at Mendy's house that night. But the next morning, it's alleged, Mendy walked into her bedroom while she was having a shower wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and touching his penis. 

Mr Aina said the woman managed to wrap a towel around herself and grab some underwear and a bra but Mendy 'snatched' it off her. 

Mendy is then said to have sat on the bed and grabbed her and told her: 'You don't have to be scared. I just wanna feel you, I'm not, I'm not gonna do anything to you. I'm not gonna, put it in or anything.'

He then slid his boxers down and as the woman attempted to wriggle free, he then tried to rape her while she repeatedly told him to stop.

She then decided to leave and was taken to Macclesfield train station by Mendy's driver and after her ordeal texted a friend to say the footballer had 'tried to force himself on her', the jury heard.

When Mendy was interviewed by police he made no comment to questions.

But Mr Aina said Mendy claimed that he hoped to have consensual sex with the woman and there had been some sexual touching.

But this stopped when the woman became 'upset' after he told that he had asked Diacko if he could have sex with her, and his friend had agreed.

Mr. Aina said the second woman, aged 24 at the time, was raped by Mendy during a party at his house in October 2020.

She had gone back to Mendy's house as part of group of eight girls after meeting him at a bar in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.

When they arrived, Mr Aina, the girls were asked to hand over their phones to protect Mr.Mendy from unwanted social media intrusion and any 'difficulties' over him breaking Covid restrictions.

But the woman refused and when Mendy saw her using her phone in the swimming pool area of the house he took it from her and said he needed to check it.

He walked upstairs and into a bedroom and was followed by the woman, who demanded her phone back.

The bedroom doors were locked behind her when she told Mendy she wanted to leave he said he wanted to see her naked.

The woman told Mendy she didn't want to sex with him and just wanted to her phone back.

Mendy replied that he would return it if she took her clothes off, saying: 'I just wanna have a look at you. I promise you I wont touch you. I just wanna see what you look like. I wanna see your body. I wanna see your t***. Your t*** are so big.'

The woman removed her clothes, leaving her underwear on, and Mendy is said to have thrown her on the bed and raped her.

When she resisted he told her she was 'too shy' adding: 'It's fine. I've had sex with ten thousand women.'

The woman left the house and told friends and family what had happened to her.

But Mendy told police that he had 'consensual' sexual activity with the woman, including oral sex, but he stopped when he knew she didn't want to do anything else.

The jury was shown drone footage of the house, along with a police officer's body-worn camera footage of the inside.

It showed the door of the bedroom the second woman was locked in and how both locks needed to be manipulated at the same time to make them open.

Mr Aina said the locks gave 'a sense of security' to protect from burglars but it was important in the case to consider that if you were in the room and you wanted to get out you wouldn't know how to do so.

They also heard about messages sent by both women to friends in the aftermath of the alleged sex attacks.

In one, the second woman said: 'Got into a situation. He was a bit forceful. I am OK just a bit spooked.'

Another said: 'I just didn't even want to happen what happened.'
And: 'I kept saying no but then he got the message. Glad I was able to stop it. What the f*** I'm a grown woman.'

The first woman said: 'I've just been sexually abused, if that's the word, by Mendy

'He didn't penetrate but he wouldn't let me go.'

The trial, expected to last up to three weeks, continues.

Comments