The Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of one count of rape on the direction of the judge at his trial.

Mendy, 28, was cleared of the rape of a 19-year-old woman in July last year at Chester Crown Court.

His co-defendant, Louis Saha Matturie, 41, was also found not guilty on the direction of the judge of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault against the same woman.

Judge Stephen Everett ordered the jury to clear the defendants of those charges after the prosecution offered no further evidence.

Mendy still faces seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault – charges he denies.

Judge Everett warned the jury not to speculate as to why the prosecution had decided not to pursue guilty verdicts in relation to the charges and to continue to “faithfully” try the defendants on the other charges they still face.

Earlier, the jury was told of a private video of the woman with Matturie, when she claimed she had been raped by him for a second time.

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The 20-minute mobile phone video was taken by Matturie on 1 August last year, the court heard, a week after both men had allegedly raped the woman on the same night at the footballer’s mansion in Prestbury, Cheshire.

She had alleged that she woke up with Mendy raping her on that occasion.

Lisa Wilding KC, defending Matturie, suggested what happened between them was “consensual” sex, not rape, Chester Crown Court was told.

The woman denied this, claiming the incident left her feeling “shamed and disgusted”.

She was questioned over why the film was made, and she said she was not aware that she was being filmed at the time.

The hearing was then adjourned and when court resumed after lunch time, Timothy Cray KC, for the prosecution, told the court that the prosecution was not now seeking guilty verdicts on alleged sexual offences involving the woman.

The jury was then directed to enter not-guilty verdicts against the defendants.

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