Benjamin Mendy: Woman denies consensual sex with player's friend

A woman who claims she was raped by a friend of footballer Benjamin Mendy has denied turning "normal and forgettable sex" with him into a rape allegation.

Louis Saha Matturie met the young woman while out clubbing in Manchester and they set up a date in the summer of 2012, not long after she turned 18.

She rejected a defence assertion she made the rape claims after seeing media reports of allegations against him.

Both men deny a range of sex offences at Chester Crown Court.

The court has been told Mr Matturie, then aged 31, told the teenager he was a football agent and after a first date at Nando's took her back to his flat in south Manchester and raped her.

The woman said she did not tell anyone about the alleged 2012 incident until she reported it to police after seeing a news article in December 2021 about the arrest of the two men.

Under cross-examination from Lisa Wilding KC, defending Mr Matturie, she agreed that though she remembered some details, she could not recall the sex which was a "blank" in her memory.

Ms Wilding put it to the witness she could not recall how long sex lasted or what actually happened.

The lawyer continued: "Just as the whole sex part has vanished from your memory, it's vanished from his too.

"In other words, he has no recollection of having sex with you.

"If this happened, might it have been you gave every indication that you were willing and consenting to the sex that took place?"

The witness replied: "Definitely not."

Ms Wilding suggested the witness may have "gone along" with having sex which she later regretted.

She continued: "And when you come to read the newspapers, that others had alleged rape or sexual offences against him, did you then turn normal and forgettable sex into a sexual allegation?"

The woman replied: "No. Not at all. I know when I want to have sex with somebody or not."

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 took place with women it was consensual.

The jury has heard from all 13 complainants.

The trial was adjourned until Wednesday.

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