Nathaniel Mendez-Laing Denies Assault Allegations in Court

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has appeared in court after denying an allegation that he assaulted his wife at their home in Staffordshire.

The 34-year-old MK Dons winger is accused of attacking his wife, Saira Mendez-Laing, at their luxury property in Shenstone in June. Police were called to the address and Mendez-Laing was later arrested and charged with assault by beating.

He appeared at Cannock magistrates’ court on Friday, arriving on crutches. The Birmingham-born forward, a former England Under-17 international, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address before entering a not guilty plea to one count of assault by beating.

The court heard that Saira, who is the mother of Mendez-Laing’s child, was allegedly struck repeatedly over the head and suffered an arm injury during the incident. The dispute is said to have started after a disagreement about a phone. Mendez-Laing denies any physical attack.

Charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service last month.

District Judge Joseph O’Connor granted the player conditional bail and listed the case for trial in January next year.

Mendez-Laing, who represents Guatemala at international level through his mother and maternal grandmother, scored four goals in 20 Premier League appearances for Cardiff City in the 2019/20 season before leaving the club in September 2020. He has also previously played for Wolves.

He married Saira in June last year, with MK Dons marking the occasion by sharing a wedding photograph and congratulatory message on the club’s official social media channels.

MK Dons, currently 19th in League One, said it could not comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.