Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been accused of another count of rape.
Mendy, 27, who was already accused of a series of sex offences, was charged last week with a further count of rape, but this was subject to reporting restrictions.
The restrictions were lifted on Wednesday as Mendy appeared at Chester Crown Court for a hearing ahead of his trial next year.
The charge relates to a new complainant and is alleged to have taken place in July this year.
A prison van arrives at Chester Crown Court, in Chester
Jacob King
Mendy is now accused of eight offences against five different women, including seven counts of rape relating to four women.
The earlier charges are three counts of rape, alleged to have happened on October 11 2020; sexual touching on January 2 2021; one count of rape on July 24 2021 and two counts of rape on August 23 2021.
Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy (left) appearing at Manchester Magistrates Court charged with two additional counts of rape, after initially being charged in August with four counts of rape. He is pictured with Louis Saha Matturie who is accused of sexually touching a woman in Sheffield in 2016, raping a woman in March this year and another count of rape in Macclesfield in July. He now faces six counts of rape in total and one of sexual assault.
Elizabeth Cook
Mendy is appearing alongside his co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, 40, of Eccles, Greater Manchester, who is also accused of serious sex offences against young women.
The France international, of Withinlee Road, Prestbury, Cheshire, has been in custody since his arrest on August 26.
Both men were remanded into custody at HMP Altcourse, Liverpool after a 40-minute hearing where their trial scheduled for January was put back to later in the year.