French soccer player Benjamin Mendy, accused of seven counts of rape, was described by prosecutors as a “serial rapist” on Thursday during his trial in Chester, northern England, AFP reported.

The 28-year-old French defender, banned for more than a year by Manchester City, has been on trial since early August, accused of seven counts of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault.

The facts allegedly took place between October 2018 and August 2021 at his home in Prestbury, Cheshire. He faces life imprisonment.

The first months of the trial were devoted to the prosecution, which presented Benjamin Mandy as a “predator” who abused “vulnerable, frightened and isolated” victims.

In early November, the accused denied that he was a “danger to women”. He said he only had consensual sex. On Thursday, it was District Attorney Timothy Cray’s turn to speak. According to him, the football player lured young women to his parties in “toxic and dangerous” situations.

He spoke of a “selection of young women who were constantly changing” before calling Benjamin Mendy a “serial rapist”, a “predator” during his glory days at his club.

“Fame is a very good cover to hide the dark side of someone’s life,” continued Prosecutor Cray.

The winner of the 2018 World Cup as part of the French national team, Benjamin Mendy, spent more than four months in a detention center, from August 2021 to January 2022. Released at the beginning of January, he was placed under judicial supervision.