*Undated
Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy was secretly moved to one of the toughest prisons in the United Kingdom after concerns over his safety, according to reports.
The 27-year-old defender, who remains in custody, is charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault and is set to appear in court on Friday January 7th.
Mendy had been at Category-B HMP Altcourse in Liverpool and was there until 23rd December. UK media outlets now report that the France international was switched from HMP Altcourse to Strangeways before Christmas.
Mendy was moved to Strangeways, officially known as HMP Manchester, due to growing fears over his safety. Strangeways is a top-security prison and previously hosted notorious serial killer Harold Shipman and Manchester serial rapist Reynhard Sinaga.
Mendy and co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, who is facing six counts of rape and one for sexual assault, were both reportedly driven to Strangeways on 23rd December. Both Mendy and Saha were moved because “their case is so high profile” and “Category A conditions might be better equipped” for their safety.
“The Prison Service has a responsibility to manage prisoners in the safest way possible.” A source familiar with Strangeways, also called HMP Manchester, said Mendy may still be in for a rough time. An inspection last September found many of its 624 cells were locked up for 22 hours a day.
The source said: “He won’t know what’s hit him coming from Altcourse, which is a privately run prison. It’s one of the toughest jails in the country. His other problem will be the amount of Man United fans in there.
Mendy, who arrived at the Etihad in 2017 from Monaco, was suspended by City last August after he was charged by police.
The Premier League champions spent a reported £49.2million signing Mendy from French side Monaco in 2017. In September last year City boss Pep Guardiola revealed Mendy would be out of the game for at least a month due to an injury.
City later suspended the left-back after he was charged. In a statement, the club said: 'Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin Mendy has been suspended pending an investigation.'The matter is subject to a legal process and the club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete.'
The former Marseille and Monaco player’s charges of seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault relate to five women.
Both Mendy and Matturie will appear in court on Friday and a hearing will be held for bail arrangements and custody time. The trial preparation and a plea will be heard on 24th January, with the trial scheduled to start on either 27th June or 1st August.