7th January, 2022
Manchester City defender, Benjamin Mendy has been released from prison on bail ahead of his trial on rape charges.
Mendy who was in court was accused of eight offenses including rape against five different women.
He was arrested on August 26 and has been held in custody since then. After 134 days in custody, Mendy was granted bail by Judge Patrick Thompson at a private hearing on Friday.
The defender was told he must live at his home address, not contact complainants and surrender his passport.
Mendy had been due to go on trial this month, but the trial has been pushed to June 27 at the earliest. However, he would appear at the court for a hearing on January 24.
The French international joined Manchester City in 2017 from Monaco for a reported £52m. He has played 75 times for City but his playing time has been limited by injuries and a loss of form.
After his arrest, Mendy was suspended by Manchester City until an investigation on his case is concluded.