London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Benjamin Mendy: Accusers were in WhatsApp group, court hears

Benjamin Mendy: Accusers were in WhatsApp group, court hears

A woman who has accused footballer Benjamin Mendy of rape was in a WhatsApp group with another alleged sex assault victim who wanted to sue Manchester City, a court has heard.

The woman says she was raped by Mr Mendy at his home in 2020, where she alleges he boasted about having had sex with 10,000 women.

She denied trying to "minimise" knowing another woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by the footballer.

He is accused of eight counts of rape.

The 28-year-old French international is also accused of one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault.

Some women have said they had their phones taken away, while others described attacks in locked rooms at his mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire.

On Thursday the jury at Chester Crown Court heard how one woman said she was raped by Mr Mendy three times and was left bleeding from the attack in October 2020.

She added the "hardest thing that makes me upset is how many times I said no".

Another complainant, aged 24 at the time, alleges that on 2 January 2021, the footballer sexually assaulted her by grabbing her groin over her clothing at a party at his house.

Both Mr Mendy and Mr Matturie deny all the charges against them


Under cross-examination by Eleanor Laws QC, defending Mr Mendy, the first woman denied trying to "minimise" knowing the other complainant.

The court heard how she said the two women had a mutual friend and told police in a statement: "I think I may have met her once but cannot be sure."

The woman told the jury she reported her rape allegation to police in November 2020 and found out about the groping allegation by the other woman in February 2021.

She said she had to take two months off work due to the trauma of reliving her own experience.

The other woman then went to police shortly after the two women were in contact in the February, the court heard.

Ms Laws said: "After she found out about each other's allegations she goes to police two days later.

"Has she ever discussed with you because of what happened, she wanted to sue Manchester City for what happened to her?"

The woman replied: "I don't remember."

The prosecution alleges Louis Saha Matturie was Mr Mendy's fixer who would "find young women"


The witness said she did not remember both of them being part of a WhatsApp group with the title "Sunday Shlagggs" but conceded they had both been with other girls on an overnight trip to Wales.

She denied trying to "exaggerate and lie" about what had happened between her and Mr Mendy.

Ms Laws continued: "Had you persuaded yourself that it was Mr Mendy that had done something wrong that night and not something entirely consensual?"

The witness replied: "I'm absolutely certain I did not give consent."

Ms Laws added: "What happened in that room with Mr Mendy, in drink, is you did things you regretted and were embarrassed about the next day?"

"Absolutely not," the witness replied.

The French international was suspended by Manchester City after the allegations emerged


Mr Mendy, who denies all the charges against him, is on trial alongside co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, 41.

Mr Matturie, of Eccles, Salford, has denied eight counts of rape and four of sexual assault.

Both men said if any sex had taken place with women or girls it was consensual.

Timothy Cray QC, prosecuting, asked the woman why she decided to go to the police and go through with a prosecution of Mendy.

She replied: "The main reason was I just did not want to be here any more.

"That's a really scary thought for me to have because I have got really good friends and a really good job, but I couldn't carry on not being myself.

"If someone just listened and it's out of me, then I can try to carry on. I didn't want to live a life where pretty much I didn't want to be here anymore.

"I didn't want to do that to my family or my sister."

The trial continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×