Nathaniel Mendez-Laing Denies Assault Allegation in Court

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has denied an allegation that he assaulted his wife after appearing before magistrates in Staffordshire.

The 34-year-old MK Dons winger, a former Premier League player with Cardiff City and Wolves, stood in the dock at Cannock magistrates’ court on Friday and entered a not guilty plea to one count of assault by beating.

He arrived on crutches and spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

The charge relates to an incident in June at the couple’s luxury home in Shenstone, Staffordshire. The court heard that police were called to the property, where Mendez-Laing is alleged to have repeatedly struck his wife, Saira Mendez-Laing, over the head, leaving her with an arm injury.

Prosecutors said the confrontation followed what was described in court as a “disagreement about a phone”. Mendez-Laing denies any physical attack.

The Crown Prosecution Service is understood to have authorised the charge last month.

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

Mendez-Laing, born in Birmingham, represented England at under-17 level and later chose to play senior international football for Guatemala, qualifying through his mother and maternal grandmother. He scored four goals in 20 Premier League appearances for Cardiff in the 2019/20 season before leaving the club in September 2020.

He married Saira in June last year, with MK Dons marking the occasion by posting 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.