Benjamin Mendy jury don’t have to all agree on the verdict, judge rules

Mendy has been on on trial at Chester Crown Court since August

The judge in the trial of Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has told jurors that he will accept majority verdicts. Mendy, 28, denies seven counts of rape against four women; one count of attempted rape alleged by a fifth woman; and one count of sexual assault against a sixth. The offences are alleged to have taken place at his home in Prestbury between October 2018 and August of last year. Louis Saha Matturie, 41, from Eccles, Salford, Mendy's co-defendant and alleged 'fixer' has denied six counts of rape; and three counts of sexual assault, in allegations relating to seven women. Both have been on trial at Chester Crown Court since August. Jurors entered a 12th day of consideration before Judge Steven Everett, the Honorary Recorder of Chester, gave them the majority direction. The jury contained seven men and four women, one down from the usual number of 12 due to one requiring emergency medical treatment and therefore being discharged form the case. The trial remains ongoing. Related links:

• Pep Guardiola says Benjamin Mendy is a ‘really good boy’ at trial
• Benjamin Mendy was a ‘predator’ who ‘engineered situations’ to rape women, court told
• Benjamin Mendy found not guilty of one count of rape