A Manchester City player accused by several women of rape and sexual abuse has been found “not guilty”.

The Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty on six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The jury in Chester Crown County in north-west England failed to rule on two other charges against the footballer – one of attempted rape and the other of rape – and the prosecution has announced there will be a new process which will start on January 26th.

Mendy, 28, covered her face with both hands and slowly leaned back as the foreman delivered the verdict before a completely silent court, the British Press Association reported. The not guilty verdicts are related to the complaints of four young women or teenagers.

The unanimous verdict was pronounced on Wednesday by the seven men and four women who made up the jury. One of the jurors was earlier discharged for medical reasons.

The verdict was not reported until the jury concluded its examination of the other two charges. The judge said he would accept a 10-1 decision on the verdict. However, after 14 days of deliberation, the jury was unable to deliver a verdict.

Luigi Saha MatturieThe 41-year-old, also a defendant alongside Mendy and an alleged “mediator”, was found not guilty on three counts of raping two teenagers. The jury returned no verdict on three counts of rape and three counts of sexual abuse against him by five other women.

The trial against Mendy and Matturie began on August 10 were accused of various sexual offenses by 13 women. They denied all allegations.

Manchester City have released a brief statement assuring they are aware of the verdict relating to Mendy, who was suspended by the club in August 2021 when the allegations became public.

“As there are outstanding issues relating to the case, the club is not in a position to comment further at this time,” City said.

Pep Guardiola, manager of the City, did not want to talk about the acquittal of Mendy. “The club has made a statement and I can’t say more. Please take the statement as my words,” Guardiola said at a press conference ahead of his duel against United in the City Classic on Friday.

Source: AP and EFE