Eleanor Laws KC, instructed by Jenny Wiltshire, Hickman & Rose Solicitors.
Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy faced sexual allegations (including rape), made by 7 females. The allegations arose out of visits by fans and girls to his home address, which allegedly turned into sex parties. The significance of this case is that his international fame has attracted world-wide media attention and a public debate into the off pitch behaviour of premier league footballers.
Eleanor Laws gave an interview to The Times on the need for young footballers to be educated with respect to their sexual conduct (see link here).
In January 2023 Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty in respect of the majority of charges against him. The re-trial of the remaining two charges took place in July 2023 and he was again found not guilty.
Various links on the case:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-66201526
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4692188/2023/07/15/benjamin-mendy-court-case/
Below are the translation from French newspaper L'Equipe around the case:
She looks up from her computer, from which she’s getting ready to read a new fragment of an interrogation. To the twelve jurors: "We are aware that the accumulation of these details can be distressing." Eleanor Laws spent an entire morning attempting to weaken the allegations against her client Benjamin Mendy, accused of seven rapes attempted rape and sexual assault. Ms Laws will continue his plea in the afternoon.
"That's all he has, compared to others. Looking at the messages, how they begin then develop. These are small points which, put together, can be very revealing.” Complainant by complainant, she turns the pages of the thick file reading WhatsApp conversations or text messages, projecting videos to the court.
Ms Laws assured the jury that many of the complainants knew each other; the prosecutor had said the contrary, the day before, in a more general and much shorter plea. She pointed out that the “third complainant" knew when the “ninth complainant had lodged a complaint against her client - they are friends, the barrister assures us. Still on the subject of the third accuser "She told the police that she was going to sue Manchester City. Why is she talking about money?
This complainant accuses Benjamin Mendy of sexual assault: he allegedly touched her vagina through her clothes during a party, on 2 January 2021. "This allegedly happened in the kitchen but nobody saw her," continued Laws. "She also said she didn't dance." Ms Laws then showed the court a video of the complainant dancing at the party organised at the Frenchman's house. "She is having the time of her life", asserted the Lawyer.
Ms Laws told the jury that another complainant had no recollection of the alleged rape in July 2021, but this alleged victim said that it must have been rape. "Not remembering is not rape. She is not reliable and she's not telling you the truth". Benjamin Mendy's lawyer reminded the judges of the thirteen defence witnesses who portrayed the 2018 world champion as "friendly", "attentive" "not aggressive", in contrast to the prosecutor who spoke to the jury of the Frenchman's "dark side".
Ms Laws spoke to the jury: "If you are not certain that he was a monstrous predator who deliberately isolated women he must be acquitted.” Almost solemn, she ended her closing speech: "We know that you bear a great responsibility. Even if he is found not guilty, his life in football and the UK is over. He won't be able to get away from these charges. Look at Ched Evans.” The Welsh player spent two years behind bars accused of rape, before being acquitted in 2016. This latest statement was not to the judge's liking. After a short interval during which the jury left the courtroom. Steven Everett, firmly addresses them: "Ched Evans has nothing to do with this case. I asked you at the beginning of the trial not to look at social media. If you feel pressured, put it to one side. All you must do is listen carefully to the witnesses and the evidence, to judge this case in accordance with the law.
Lisa Wilding, lawyer for the co-accused Louis Saha Matturie (no connection with former international player Louis Sahal), will give her plea on Monday. The judge will then give the last legal provisions to the jury before summarising over three months worth of debates, opposing views, right up to the closing arguments. This phase could last several days. In view of the many heavy charges against the two defendants, it is possible, even likely, that the verdict will be pronounced only after several days of deliberation. These should begin in the week of the 28th of November.
Mandated by her London law firm, Hickman & Rose, this English lawyer is defending the 2018 World Cup champion at Chester Crown Court (in the north of England). Mendy is accused of seven rapes, one attempted rape, and one sexual assault against six young women—acts that allegedly took place at his home in Prestbury between October 25, 2018, and August 23, 2021.Although she represents high-profile clients, the lawyer remains highly discreet. Finding out her date of birth, gathering details about her personal life or hobbies is nearly impossible. When contacted, she declined any interview through another lawyer from her team, “to avoid prejudicing the outcome of the trial.”In July 2020, she was one of the lawyers mandated by Johnny Depp to pursue a defamation case against The Sun and its publishing group NGN (News Group Newspapers), which owns the British tabloid.Although that case was lost, Eleanor Laws once again impressed her peers."Eleanor had to deal with several egocentric personalities. She handled herself with calm and confidence. A true professional," notes Sasha Wass, who was representing the powerful NGM. "She is one of the best lawyers at the bar."
Since 2011, she has been elevated to the rank of Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September), the highest distinction for British lawyers. The professional reference site Chambers UK even named her "Star Individual" this year."She is one of the fifteen best King’s Counsel in the country. She is also one of the first women to receive this distinction,"says Judge Patricia Lees, who co-authored a reference book on sexual offences with Ms. Laws.A fellow lawyer who has worked with her adds, speaking anonymously: "Excellent barristers have spent years perfecting their craft, but presence cannot be learned. Ms. Laws brings a sense of gravity and elevates everyone around her. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire her if one of my loved ones were facing serious allegations."Lees continues: "She is intelligent, rigorous, honest, and trustworthy."Her weaknesses, according to Lees? "She works so hard that she doesn’t allow enough time for herself."Sasha Wass first met her in 2013, in Oxford. "The case involved allegations of sexual predation. Eleanor was a formidable opponent. She remained clear-headed and composed. We have remained close ever since."Specialized in "serious sexual violence cases," according to Chambers UK, she is recognized for her meticulous knowledge of the subject.
She took part in a working group tasked with training prosecutors and lawyers, focusing, among other things, on the stereotypes associated with rape cases. She emphasized the crucial role of the judge, explaining in a 2016 BBC podcast, Beyond Today:"The judge must guide the jurors, ensuring they do not assume that the complainant is lying just because she does not cry while recounting her story, for example."She also highlighted two recurring issues in such cases:"It is often one person's word against another's, with no recordings or concrete evidence to prove the guilt of the accused."The case can become even more complex if there is a history of consensual relations between the alleged victim and the accused or if alcohol was involved. At the center of widespread praise is, of course, her aggressive cross-examination style. Ms Laws focuses on finding the small detail that cracks a testimony and brings down the accusation,"explains a lawyer who wishes to remain anonymous. In 2018, doctor Rajeshkumar Mehta, who had been convicted of sexual assault, appealed his sentence. Ms. Laws took on his case and revealed that the complainant had lied. The doctor was acquitted on appeal after having already served fifteen months in prison. "Building a trusting relationship with a client facing such serious charges is difficult," continues the lawyer. "Ms Laws makes her client understand that their case is in the hands of an expert, which instills a great degree of confidence."In 2014, she defended one of the four young men accused of rape following a ball at the Royal Agricultural University. All four were acquitted. Edward Henry, the lawyer representing one of them, recalls:"She skilfully convinced the prosecution to include the complainant’s phone in the case file, which they had previously refused to do. The defense’s forensic experts analyzed the phone. The evidence it contained completely dismantled the prosecution's case."In the Mendy case, Laws, true to her reputation, pushed the complainants to their limits during various cross-examinations. Her highly detailed closing argument lasted more than six hours, spread over two days. She sought to expose the flaws and inconsistencies in each complainant’s testimony, as well as the connections between them. The jurors will decide whether Benjamin Mendy is guilty or not during deliberations expected to begin on Monday. When Laws speaks in court, she commands the jurors' attention, but she may have pushed too far. On November 18, as she was concluding her argument, she told the twelve jurors: "We know you bear a great responsibility. Even if he (Mendy) is found not guilty, his life is over—in football and in the UK. He will never escape these accusations. Look at Ched Evans."She was referring to the case of Welsh footballer Ched Evans, who was sentenced in April 2012 to five years in prison for the rape of a 19-year-old woman. Four years later, on appeal, he was found not guilty. Judge Steven Everett, who is presiding over the Mendy trial, did not appreciate Laws’ remark and dropped his usual reserved demeanor. Firmly, he ended the hearing with a direct statement to the jurors:"Ched Evans has nothing to do with this case. Jimmy Savile has nothing to do with this case. Your only duty is to carefully listen to the witnesses and examine the evidence in order to judge this case objectively, in accordance with the law."In his closing argument, prosecutor Timothy Cray focused on Mendy’s "dark side," drawing a parallel with Jimmy Savile, the former television star accused of hundreds of sexual assaults after his death in 2011.