Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of raping a young woman and the attempted rape of another.
The 28-year-old broke down in tears as the verdicts were given by the jury foreman following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court.
He had stood for news of the acquittal but sank to his seat, his head on his knees, wiping away tears with a white tissue.
Mendy, whose contract with the Premier League champions ended on July 1, was cleared of attempting to rape a woman, aged 29 at the time, at his £4 million mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire in October 2018.
He was also found not guilty of the rape of a second woman, aged 24, two years later also at his home address.
The French international and World Cup winner is alleged to have later told her “it’s fine, I’ve had sex with 10,000 women”, the court heard.
The jury of six men and six women were out for around three hours and 15 minutes before returning their verdicts.
Judge Steven Everett responded: “Mr Mendy can be discharged from the dock.”
His trial was a re-trial, having been cleared by a jury earlier this year of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four young women or teenagers, following a six-month trial.
Jurors failed to reach verdicts on the two counts of rape and attempted rape he was re-tried with.
His lawyer Jenny Wiltshire, head of serious and general crime at Hickman & Rose, said: “Benjamin Mendy would like to thank the members of the jury for focussing 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.”
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.”
