British court refuses to release world player accused of 4 rapes

The British judiciary on Wednesday rejected a request for probation filed by Manchester City defender, the English Premier League champion, the French international, Benjamin Mendy, who is accused of four cases of rape and one sexual assault.

Mendy, 27, who is detained at HMB Altcourse Prison in Liverpool (Northwest), did not attend the hearing, which was held behind closed doors at a court in Chester.

Mendy was arrested and placed in pretrial detention last Friday. His club, Manchester City, who has been defending his colors since 2017, announced his suspension on Thursday, a few minutes before the police announced that he would be referred to justice.

A new hearing is scheduled for September 10.

British police announced that Mendy was accused of three rapes in October 2020, and a fourth rape in August 2021, at his home in Prestbury, Cheshire.

He is also accused of sexually assaulting a woman, also in his home, at the beginning of last January.

The alleged assaults concern three women, including a minor.

Manchester City paid 52 million pounds (60 million euros) to sign Mendy in 2017, after he caught the eye with Marseille and starred with Monaco for one season, making at that time the young French left-back the most expensive defender in history.

But his football career has been marred by injuries, such as a torn cruciate ligament in 2017, forcing him to spend more time treating his knees and muscle problems.

Mendy, who was crowned with his country's World Cup title in 2018 in Russia, was a rich material for the British media in the fall of 2020 when his Lamborghini, worth more than 500,000 euros, which he was driving without a license or insurance, was confiscated. He pleaded guilty and was fined just over 1,000 euros.

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