Manchester City player accused of rape 1:12
(CNN) --
Manchester City soccer player Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty on six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against him at Chester Crown Court, a local official confirmed to CNN.
The court official told CNN that jurors were unable to reach verdicts on one count of rape and one count of attempted rape in Mendy's trial, which began in August 2022. The official added that Mendy will face a retrial in June on one count of rape and one count of attempted rape on which the jury could not come to a definition.
Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy was charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault
Mendy's friend and co-defendant, Louis Saha Matturie, was found not guilty on three counts of rape.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against Matturie, who is set to stand trial again in September, The Guardian reported.
Mendy has denied all the accusations.
Mendy and Matturie were accused of preying on young women while hosting lurid booze-filled parties at the footballer's mansion in Cheshire, even during the period when the UK was under strict social restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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These allegations arose from separate incidents: the first in 2018 and the second in 2020.
The unanimous verdicts of not guilty were delivered Wednesday, but could not be reported until the jury concluded its deliberation on the two remaining charges Mendy faces.
“Manchester City FC notes today's Chester Crown Court verdict, where a jury found Benjamin Mendy not guilty on seven counts.
The jury is yet to decide on two more charges and the trial has already ended," the club announced in a statement on Friday.
"Since there are open matters related to this case, the club is not in a position to comment further at this time," the text adds.
Mendy was suspended by City in August 2021, when the original charges against him were announced.
CNN has reached out to Mendy's representatives but has not yet received a response.
CNN has also contacted the Chester Crown Court Prosecution Service but has not heard back.
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