Prosecutor says Mendy viewed women as 'disposable'

August 15 - The trial of Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy opened today (Monday) on rape allegations, with the prosecutor arguing the French player viewed his victims as 'disposable'.

Mendy, 28, is charged with eight counts of rape, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault. The offenses allegedly took place between October 2018 and August 2021 at Mendy's home. He is on trial alongside co-accused Louis Saha Matturie, 41.

Timothy Cray QC said the case had "very little to do with football" and was more about men who "think they are powerful".

Cray said: "This is another chapter in a very old story: men who rape and sexually assault women, because they think they are powerful and they think they can get away with it."

“These women were disposable: things to be used for sex, then thrown aside. It was the effect of the deliberate and planned choices made by the defendants and the desires they let go of repeatedly.”

The prosecutor alleged that "one of Saha's tasks for Mendy was to find young women and create situations where these young women could be raped and sexually assaulted. The acts the defendants committed together show a ruthless indifference to the women they pursued."

The prosecutor said of Mendy and Saha: "The defendants' pursuit of these 13 women turned them into predators, who were ready to commit serious sexual offences. ... They would not accept the 'no " as an answer, or that they created situations where "no" wasn't even an option."

Mendy, a World Cup winner with the France national team, has denied the accusations. The trial continues.

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