Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been cleared of raping a young woman and trying to rape another.
Mendy, 28, broke down in tears as the two not guilty verdicts were delivered by the jury foreman following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court.
The French international footballer and World Cup winner had faced a lengthy jail sentence if convicted.
Jurors found him not guilty of both charges following around three hours and 15 minutes of deliberations.
He was cleared of attacking a 24-year-old woman at The Spinney, his £4.2million mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, in October 2020.
And the jury also found him not guilty of the second charge, the attempted rape of a 29-year-old woman also at his home two years before.
Mendy told the jury of six women and six men, that any sexual activity was consensual.
Trial Judge Stephen Everett, the Recorder of Chester, thanked jurors after discharging Mendy from the dock.
Mendy was on trial for a second time, the jury failing to reach verdicts on the allegations made by the two women.
In his first trial, lasting six months and ending in January, he was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four other young women or teenagers.
Benjamin Aina KC, prosecuting, told the jury in the re-trial Mendy enjoyed parties at his home and on two occasions “took advantage” of his female guests and his wealth and celebrity status turned him into a man not used to being told “No”, by women.
The first complainant, woman A, a 29-year-old student, first met Mendy while in a nightclub in Barcelona in late 2017 and she became intimate with one of his friends.
They kept in touch and a year later she arranged to visit Mendy’s friend at the footballer’s house, where they stayed after they all went with other girls for a night out.
The morning after, when she took a shower in the en-suite bathroom, Mendy appeared uninvited, wearing just boxer shorts, and holding himself, visibly “aroused” she told the jury.
Mendy is then alleged to have grabbed the woman and tried to rape her on the bed as she tried to struggle free, despite her repeatedly telling him to stop.
Mendy told the jury the two were “flirting” during the night out and the next morning he went to her room and they began hugging on a bed.
He said she told him she would not have sex with him because she was with his friend.
Mendy said she then got upset when he told her he had already asked his friend who had told him it would be “OK”.
He denied trying to rape her.
Two years later, woman B, aged 24, was out with friends at a bar in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, near Mendy’s home, when they were invited back to the footballer’s house.
She alleges Mendy took her phone from her, which contained “intimate” photos, then led her to his locked bedroom, as she asked for her phone back.
Mendy was alleged to have told her “I just wanna have a look at you” and told her to take her clothes off.
Woman B complied, leaving her underwear on, and Mendy then threw her phone on the bed.
As she went to retrieve it, Mendy was alleged to have taken hold of her from behind and raped her despite her telling him she did not want to have sex.
The woman said afterwards Mendy said to her: “You’re too shy. It’s fine. I’ve had sex with 10,000 women.”
Mendy told the jury the woman had agreed to “play around” on the bed and denied raping her saying afterwards they swapped details to connect on Snapchat.
Mr Aina, prosecuting, claimed Mendy was not used to women saying no to him.
He said: “You wanted women who came to your house to party, get drunk and have sex?”
Mendy replied: “If they want.
“I will never force to have sex with a woman.”
In a statement, Mendy’s lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, said: “Benjamin Mendy would like to thank the members of the jury for focusing on the evidence in this trial, rather than on the rumour and innuendo that have followed this case from the outset.
“This is the second time that Mr Mendy has been tried and found not guilty by a jury. He is delighted that both juries reached the correct verdicts.
“It has been almost three years since the police started investigating this matter. Mr Mendy has tried to remain strong but the process has, inevitably had a serious impact on him.
“He thanks everyone who has supported him throughout this ordeal and now asks for privacy so he can begin rebuilding his life.”
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
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