(Reuters) – Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was remanded in custody on Friday after appearing at Chester Magistrates’ Court a day after being charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, British media reported.
Mendy, who was charged by the Cheshire Constabulary on Thursday with Premier League champions City also suspending the Frenchman pending an investigation, is accused of offences against three women, the court heard, according to a report in the Guardian.
The 27-year-old, who was refused bail, is likely to remain in custody until the date of his next hearing on Sept. 10, unless his legal team appeals against the decision to deny him bail, the report added.
Mendy appeared in court wearing a red Balenciaga hoodie and black Adidas jogging trousers and stood expressionless with his arms folded as the charges were put to him by the court clerk via a French interpreter, the report said.
The charges against Mendy are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021, Cheshire Constabulary said in their statement on Thursday.
Mendy, who has played for France 10 times and won the World Cup in 2018, was signed by City from AS Moncao in 2017 for a fee in the region of 52 million pounds ($71.32 million).
He has won the Premier League three times with City although injuries have limited his playing time, with the left back undergoing knee surgery in the 2018-19 season.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
