Man City player Benjamin Mendy appears in court facing two more rape charges

Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has appeared in court via video link after being charged with two further counts of rape.

The 27-year-old was initially arrested and charged on four counts of rape and one of sexual assault in August.

It means Mendy now faces a total of six counts of rape and one of sexual assault which relate to four complainants over the age of 16.

The City defender appeared via video link at Stockport Magistrates' Court on Wednesday alongside co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie.

Matturie, who resides in Eccles, Greater Manchester but is originally from Sierra Leone, also appeared via video link after he was charged with two additional counts of rape and one of sexual assault.

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that it had authorised Cheshire police to charge the pair, who now face the same total charges, once more.

Mendy, dressed in a white jumper, was asked to confirm his age and date of birth, before the court heard that both men are due to appear at Chester Crown Court on Thursday for a mention.

No bail application was made by advocates for either Mendy and Matturie, with both men remanded in custody at HMP Altcourse.

Last month, Mendy was refused bail for a third time at a hearing at Chester Crown Court.

The alleged attacks on three different women, including one under 18, are said to have happened at his home address on Withinlee Road in Prestbury, Cheshire.

None of the women can be identified for legal reasons.

Mendy was initially charged with three counts of rape relating to an alleged incident in October 2020 and with the sexual assault of a woman in January 2021.

The Frenchman was then also charged with raping a woman this August.

At a previous hearing at the magistrates' court, Christopher Stables, representing Mendy, said that his client strenuously denies the allegations.

A trial date has been set for January 24, 2022.

Mendy has been suspended by his club since his arrest, with a statement from them in August reading: "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."

Mendy, born in a southern suburb of Paris, moved to England in 2017, with the Citizens paying £52million for his services and handing him a five-year contract.

He won the Ligue 1 title with Monaco in his sole season at the club after starting his professional career with Le Havre, later joining Marseille in 2013.

Despite picking up three Premier League titles and a winners' medal at the 2018 World Cup, Mendy's career has been blighted by injuries.

The France international, who has appeared for his nation on 10 occasions, started City's first game of the season at Tottenham Hotspur, a 1-0 defeat, before his arrest.