A jury within the UK on Friday cleared Manchester Metropolis and France footballer Benjamin Mendy of six counts of rape and one in all sexual assault in opposition to 4 girls, following a six-month trial. The seven males and 4 girls on the panel failed to succeed in verdicts on a seventh cost of rape and one in all tried rape. Prosecutors mentioned afterwards they might search a retrial on these counts. “We have now decided at present, which is to proceed on these counts in two separate trials,” prosecutor Matthew Conway informed Chester Crown Court docket.
Mendy, 28, who denied all 9 counts involving six girls, lined his face with each fingers, gently rocking forwards and backwards, because the verdicts had been delivered.
Choose Steven Everett instantly set a brand new trial begin date of June 26 for the 2 counts which the jury couldn’t agree on.
“It’s not uncommon that jurors do not attain verdicts on some counts. You need to be true to your obligation,” Everett mentioned as he thanked them and excused them from any future jury service for seven years.
The jury, which started listening to the case final August, had been deliberating since early December, with an prolonged break over the Christmas and new 12 months vacation interval.
Mendy was accused alongside Louis Saha Matturie, 41, an alleged “fixer”, who was discovered not responsible by the jury of three counts of rape relating to 2 youngsters.
Jurors additionally failed to succeed in verdicts on three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault in opposition to him by 5 different girls.
The prosecution had alleged that Mendy was a sexual “predator” who raped or sexually assaulted younger girls procured by Matturie, at events at his luxurious dwelling.
Mendy has denied ever forcing any girl into intercourse and each mentioned any sexual exercise they’d with girls was consensual.
An announcement from Mendy’s membership Manchester Metropolis mentioned: “Given there are open issues associated to this case, the membership shouldn’t be able to remark additional presently.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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