Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, reports BBC News.

The source added that jurors were unable to reach a verdict on one count of rape and one count of attempted rape after almost six months of trial at Chester Crown Court.

The prosecutor said he would request a retrial of the last two charges, AFP noted. The 28-year-old defender of the French national team, who was disqualified by his club “Manchester City” for more than a year, has been on trial since the beginning of August at Chester Court. He was charged with seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault and faces up to life in prison.

• UPDATE 15:28 Mandy will be retried on June 26 on charges of rape and attempted rape, on which a jury could not reach a verdict. Judge Stephen Everett of Chester Crown Court told the Manchester City defender’s lawyer on Friday that a preliminary hearing will be held on January 27 ahead of a two-to-three-week trial starting on June 26.

Reaction of Manchester City

His club’s reaction: “Manchester City FC take note of today’s verdict at Chester Crown Court where a jury found Benjamin Mendy not guilty of seven charges.

The jury is deadlocked on two charges and the trial has concluded, and given the outstanding issues surrounding this case, the club is unable to comment further at this time.”

>> The trial of football player Benjamin Mendy: the prosecutor called the Frenchman a “serial rapist”

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.

The French international has been with Manchester City since 2017 when he moved from Monaco for a transfer fee of £52 million.