Benjamin Mendy rape accuser denies lying about Jack Grealish

A teenager who claims she was raped by Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy denied telling lies about Jack Grealish, a court heard.

The woman, 17 at the time, claims she was twice raped by Mr Mendy, 28, during a party at his Cheshire mansion.

She told Chester Crown Court she had "never said" Grealish, who was at the party, was kissing her in a call to her boyfriend the following day.

Mr Mendy and co-accused Louis Saha Matturie deny various sex offences.

The woman alleged the French international's friend Mr Matturie, 41, also raped her twice later the same day.

Eleanor Laws KC, defending Mr Mendy, put it to the teenager that she had told lies to her boyfriend during the telephone call.

"You got carried away with what you were telling him. And started telling him things that were not true," Ms Laws said.

"You lied about what happened between you and Jack Grealish. Do you remember telling him that Jack Grealish had taken your phone from you."

The teenager replied: "No, that never happened."

Ms Laws continued: "That would be completely untrue, if you said that?"

"Yes," she replied.

Ms Laws said: "Did you tell him Jack Grealish was kissing you, grabbing your head when you did not want him to?"

"No. I never said that," she replied.

Ms Laws continued: "Because that would be a complete lie, if you said that."

The teenager responded: "Yes. It would be a complete lie if I said that, I have not said anything like that."

Ms Laws suggested the teenager wanted to give the impression to her boyfriend that "things were being done to you" and she was a victim.

The teenager replied: "No. I told him the complete truth."

The court heard the teenager and other young women went to Mr Mendy's home on 23 August last year, after a visit to China White nightclub in Manchester.

While there, she claims Mr Mendy raped her twice in the office at the house, in Prestbury, and Mr Matturie raped her in the cinema room and later at his apartment near Manchester city centre.

Ms Laws turned to "excitable" voicemail recordings made by the 17-year-old and sent to her friends in a Snapchat group hours after the party.

In the first voicemail, played to the jury, the teenager said: "Peak of my life. Had to sign an NDA [non disclosure agreement]. Had to give my phone in. It was a private party. I have been invited out with them next Sunday."

In another, she said: "The Dom has gone to my head. Don't you just love champagne when it's £1,500?"

Prosecutors have described Mr Mendy as a "predator" who "turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game".

Mr Matturie, his friend and alleged "fixer", is claimed to have had the job of finding young women for sex.

Mr Mendy denies seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young women.

Mr Matturie of Eccles, Salford, denies six counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault relating to seven young women.

Both men say if any sex did take place with women or girls it was consensual.

The trial continues.

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