The interior of Benjamin Mendy's £1.7m mansion where the former Manchester City footballer allegedly raped multiple victims as young as 17 has been revealed to the jury today.
Police bodycam footage shown to the jurors at Chester Crown Court on Monday displayed the interior of the house where Mendy's 'fixer', Louis Saha Matturie, is accused of bringing girls and young women from the Manchester nightclub China White to be raped by the footballer.
The footage showed an indoor swimming pool and home gym, what appeared to be a large changing area complete with vanity mirrors, spa accessories and huge wardrobes, and the footballer's bathroom and kitchen.
Paintings of Mendy and various graphics bearing his name were seen on the walls.
Two of the areas in the house in Prestbury, Cheshire, doubled as 'panic rooms' where two of the footballer's alleged victims claimed they were assaulted.
Both the master bedroom and downstairs office of the huge home had a special locking mechanism, which created a 'panic room' in case of burglary which can only be opened from the inside not the outside.
The jury heard how a person would have to know how to open the doors to these rooms from the inside, which meant the women believed they had been locked in.
Other alleged victims claim Saha took their phones when they arrived at the sprawling and isolated mansion known as The Spinney, before plying them with alcohol in an attempt to make them comply.
Mendy, 28, is accused of being a 'predator' who showed 'callous indifference' and denies charges of eight counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault.
Saha, 40, has also entered not guilty pleas to all charges he faces which include eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault.
Prosecutor Timothy Cray QC said: 'One of the things Saha wanted to do was to get attractive women to The Spinney so Mendy could have a go with them.'
One woman from China White in Manchester went back to the house on July 23 last year where she said she was raped by Mendy.
Mr Cray added: 'He led her downstairs to the cinema room, she told her friend 'If I am not back in five or ten minutes please come looking for me'.
'Her friend tried to get downstairs but two of Mendy's associates she did not know was blocking the stairs.'
Another two women, both 19 and who had been to the club went to Mendy's house, where they were both allegedly raped.
The court heard that as Mendy attacked one he declared 'Don't move, don't move' while the second woke up to find the footballer raping her.
Mendy and his co-accused's court case was earlier told they 'turned the pursuit of victims for sex into a game', crossing the line of consent 'over and over again'.
The opening of the case began with the prosecution declaring the trial involved 'men who rape and sexually assault women, because they think they are powerful, and because they think they can get away with it'.
Mr Cray QC had told the jury: 'The case is simple. Actually, this case has little to do with football. It is another chapter in a very old story: men who rape and sexually assault women, because they think they are powerful, and because they think they can get away with it.
'They knew very well what they were doing. They turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game. They were prepared to cross that line over and over again. That was the effect of their game.
'To them these women were disposable things to be used for sex and thrown to one side.
'Central to the case is Mendy's home at the time. We say Mendy's house is part and parcel of how the defendants gained control of the victims.
'It's a mansion. But more importantly, it was isolated, as so many of the victims thought.
'On occasions when they got there, the victims had their phone taken from them. Some of the complainants were taken to rooms which were locked.'
Mr Cray told jurors that Saha, of Eccles, Salford, was Mendy's friend and fixer, and one of his jobs was 'to find young women and to create the situations where those young women could be raped and sexually assaulted'.
The prosecutor said Mendy was a 'reasonably famous football player', and alleged that 'because of his wealth and status, others were prepared to help him to get what he wanted'.
He added: 'Our case is that the defendants' pursuit of these 13 women turned them into predators, who were prepared to commit serious sexual offences.'
He said 'the fact they would not take ''no'' for an answer' would be something the jurors will 'hear time and time again'.
The prosecutor said Mendy and Saha say in 'broad terms' that all the women consented to sex, disputing only a couple of allegations in which they deny anything sexual happened.
Timothy Cray added there are no 'big disputes' about times or places of the events, but highlighted that the central question is whether the women consented to sex.
Mr Cray added: 'Ultimately, these cases are about where the line is drawn.
'You will be able to weigh up whether, in each case, the defendants crossed those lines because this is central, readily understandable life experience - you will know where the truth is after having heard the women concerned, the challenges to them and the other evidence that is relevant to the allegations in the charges.'
Last week, the names of Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Riyad Mahrez and John Stones, all either current or ex- Manchester City players, were read to jurors ahead of the trial.
His Honour Judge Everett wanted to make sure no jurors had any personal connection to anyone who could be referred to during the trial, or be called as a witness.
Judge Everett, who is Recorder of Chester, told the jury last week: 'Maybe you have heard their names. Some of you will be aware of the fact Mr Mendy is a professional footballer who plays football for Manchester City.'
Both defendants are on bail and the trial is expected to last up to 15 weeks.
None of the women who have made the allegations involved can be identified and reporting restrictions apply ahead of the trial.
Timothy Cray QC opened the case for the prosecution before the jury at Chester Crown Court today.
Eight men and six women were sworn in to serve on the jury, including two jurors who will be discharged after the opening of the case.
Mendy has played for Manchester City since 2017, when he joined from Monaco for a reported £52 million. He was suspended by the club after being charged by police.
Judge Everett also told the jury: 'There are 22 counts or charges, if you are feeling overwhelmed by that I can assure you that you will be having a lot of assistance on how you will approach that.
'Don't feel daunted or overwhelmed by that. This trial could go through to November.'
The trial continues.