Benjamin Mendy: Jury told Louis Saha Matturie denied rapes to police

Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy's friend told police he did not rape two women at a party at the footballer's house, a court has heard.

Louis Saha Matturie, 41, told officers he did not sexually assault the women and was "shocked" by the accusation.

Chester Crown Court heard he told police he never woke up "saying, 'I'm going to rape someone'. That is not me".

"I don't want to hurt nobody," he added.

The court has previously been told Mr Matturie was a friend of and an alleged "fixer" for Mr Mendy, 28.

Both are alleged to have raped a 17-year-old girl, while Mr Matturie is also accused of raping a 23-year-old woman at the footballer's mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, on 23 August.

Jurors heard the allegations being put to Mr Matturie in a number of police interviews.

He told detectives that girls had wanted to go to parties at Mr Mendy's house "because they know it's going to be fun".

An officer asked Mr Matturie: "Do you think if it wasn't for your status that these girls would be interested in you, or even the footballers?"

"It's because genuinely I'm a nice person," he replied.

It has been alleged that he raped the 23-year-old in Mr Mendy's Mercedes car after they left the party to buy alcohol from a local garage.

Mr Matturie told officers that the sex was consensual but, back at the house, the woman started paying attention to other partygoers, including Mr Mendy and his clubmate Jack Grealish.

"This will come to justice," he said.

"Probably she just want to target me. Because she sleep with Jack, she sleep with Ben, she sleep with Harris."

A second woman, who was 17 at the time, claims she was raped twice at the party by Mr Mendy, in his office and trophy room, and raped twice more by Mr Matturie afterwards, once in the cinema room and later at a Manchester flat.

Again, Mr Matturie told police the sex was consensual.

Prosecutors have said Mr Mendy was a "predator" who "turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game", while Mr Matturie allegedly had the job of finding young women for sex, which he has denied.

Mr Matturie, of Eccles, Salford, denies six counts of rape and three of sexual assault relating to seven young women, while Mr Mendy denies seven counts of rape, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault against six young women.

The trial continues.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk