Crucial hearing this Wednesday for Benjamin Mendy, accused of six rapes

Incarcerated since the end of August, Benjamin Mendy will once again be heard by the courts this Wednesday.

At the end of the morning (11:00 a.m.), the Manchester City full-back, accused of six rapes and one sexual assault between October 2020 and August 2021, will be present at Chester court for a pre-trial hearing which will begin on January 24 and which should last between two and three weeks.

He can hope for a remission if he pleads guilty

This is a very important meeting for the ex-international imprisoned in a private establishment located in the north of Liverpool, at Altcourse, and who will have to announce whether or not he pleads guilty to the charges brought against him. .

If he pleads guilty, the player could benefit from a reduced sentence while facing up to ten years in prison.

On the other hand, if he decides to plead not guilty, this reduction of sentence will no longer be an option but he can on the other hand hope to obtain an acquittal.

His lawyers have already made three requests for conditional release, but they were all refused by the judge.

During this hearing, the court should also rule on the possibility for some of the plaintiffs to testify remotely by video rather than on the spot.

Trained in Le Havre, revealed in Marseille and spent a season with Monaco, Mendy had become the most expensive defender in history in 2017 when the Citizens did not hesitate to pay 52 million pounds (about 60 million euros) to secure its services.

When he arrived at City, where he had a year and a half left on his contract, he was considered one of the great French and world hopes as left-back.

But the career of the now 27-year-old player has been hampered for four years by injuries, before being hampered by this legal process.