Benjamin Mendy leaves Strangeways prison as bail granted under strict conditions

As his Manchester City teammates faced Swindon Town in the FA Cup third round, Benjamin Mendy departed Strangeways prison on Friday night.

The France international defender left after being granted bail on Friday afternoon.

The suspended City defender is accused of seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault and will stand trial on Monday, January 24.

Mendy's lawyer has denied the charges levelled against the footballer, which relate to five accusers and alleged incidents between the period of October 2020 and August 2021.

The Frenchman, who resides in Prestbury, Cheshire, has been in custody since August 26 and was previously denied bail on three occasions.

But Judge Patrick Thompson granted him bail on Friday and confirmed that Mendy will be subject to stringent conditions before the trial proper starts in six or seven months.

The 27-year-old has been forced to surrender his passport.

He must also live at his home address and make no contact with complainants.

Mendy was also warned by Judge Thompson that a warrant will be issued for his arrest if he does not appear in court on the date set.

Mendy was previously behind bars at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool but was moved to a top-security prison - HMP Manchester, more commonly known as Strangeways - before Christmas amid fears over his safety.

He appeared in the dock in-person alongside 40-year-old co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, of Eccles, Greater Manchester, who, ahead of Friday's hearing, faced charges of six counts of rape and one of sexual assault between March 2021 and August 2021.

The Crown Prosecution Service has since authorised one further count of rape and one further count of sexual assault.

Mendy was charged with a seventh count of rape in mid-December, coming to light later that month as reporting restrictions were lifted.

The charge related to a new complainant and it was alleged the incident took place in July 2021.

The previous charges against the 2018 World Cup winner are three counts of rape on 11 October 2020, sexual assault on 2 January 2021, one count of rape on 24 July 2021 and two counts of rape on 23 August 2021.

None of the complainants can be identified. Four of the accusers are over the age of 18 and the fifth is between the age of 16 and 18.

Mendy, who joined City for £52million from Monaco in July 2017, and has made 75 appearances for the Premier League champions, has been suspended by his club since his arrest.

A club statement in September declared: "Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin Mendy has been suspended pending an investigation.

"The matter is subject to a legal process and the Club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete."