Football star ‘raped teen girl while on police bail’

A PREMIER League football star raped a teenage girl during a party at his £5million mansion while he was under investigation for other alleged sex offences, a court heard yesterday.

Benjamin Mendy, 27, who plays for Manchester City, appeared before a judge charged with four counts of rape and one of sexual assault, relating to three different women aged over 16.

The court heard that one of the alleged rapes took place while Mendy was on police bail.

The defender had already been questioned over allegations of repeatedly raping a woman in October and sexually assaulting a second woman in January when he allegedly raped the girl earlier this week.

She had been invited to his ‘opulent’ home in Prestbury, an upmarket village in Cheshire popular with wealthy footballers, Chester Magistrates’ Court heard.

Mendy, pictured, appeared in the glass dock at the court yesterday and spoke only to confirm his name, age and address during the hourlong hearing.

He was not asked to enter a plea to the charges but his lawyer said he ‘strenuously denied’ the allegations.

Despite offering £50,000 security and to surrender his passport and obey a strict curfew, which would effectively have placed him under house arrest, Mendy was refused bail. Instead, District Judge Jack McGarva remanded the French international, who earns £90,000 a week and listened to proceedings via an interpreter, into custody. He is due to appear before a Crown Court judge next month.

Debbie Byrne, prosecuting, told the court Mendy was arrested in November after the first woman went to police and was later released under investigation. He was arrested a second time, in January, in relation to the sexual assault allegation and made the subject of bail conditions banning him from holding parties or having more than four people at his home at any time.

Mrs Byrne said he was in breach of these conditions when he was arrested earlier this week after the third victim went to police.

Remanding Mendy into custody, District Judge McGarva told him: ‘It was a condition of bail that you did not hold house parties and the evidence is you had a significant number of people at the house in breach of that condition.

‘I have no confidence in your ability to comply with bail conditions and I am satisfied if I grant you bail there is a substantial likelihood you would commit further offences.’

Mendy has been suspended by Manchester City.