"I don't respect you as a woman", launches "Woman 6".
The sixth victim, heard since Monday, September 5 in the Benjamin Mendy rape trial, did not hold back his anger towards the player's lawyer, Eleanor Laws.
After a tense exchange, the prosecutor asked the complainant to stick to “yes” or “no” answers.
The defense was in the process of unveiling their theory: during the evening in July last year where they accuse the player of having raped her, the young woman allegedly drank too much and agreed to have sex with Benjamin Mendy .
She would also have "copied" the testimony of one of her friends.
Impossible, retorts “Woman 6”, because her friend did not give her any details.
Still according to Eleanor Laws, a drunk person can do things they regret… "I can't agree to wake up with someone on me, when I didn't agree to have sex with him" , insists the interested party, who recalls that she drinks little.
"You're quite comfortable around him, aren't you?"
»
The lawyer then relies on videos.
The complainant dances at parties at the former international.
Parties that took place after the alleged rape.
She assures that if “Woman 6” had been raped, she would not have gone back there: “You are completely comfortable in her company, aren't you?
», « You were happy, right?
" she says.
"With my friends, yes," replies the young woman.
“You can suggest whatever you want.
»
Read alsoBenjamin Mendy trial: "No one can ignore that no means no", says the prosecutor
With pursed lips and a fragile voice, the victim ends up answering the questions with a resigned “okay”.
She claims that she never found herself alone with the footballer again.
“I tried to block that in my mind and forget about it,” she explains of the rape.
I wouldn't be here if I wasn't telling the truth….
It's not nice for me to sit here and listen to all this.
".
She initially remained silent about the rape, believing "to be the only one".
The cross-examination was once again punctuated by her tears.
Then the prosecutor, Timothy Cray, closed the questioning session.
He asked her why she had returned to Benjamin Mendy, why had she finally decided to speak?
“I just thought it was the right thing to do,” she says.
This Wednesday, the recorded testimony of the last victim will be screened.
It should last three hours.
Benjamin Mendy and the second defendant, Louis Saha Matturie (
unrelated to former footballer Louis Saha
), are still present in court.
They pleaded not guilty.
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