Nathaniel Mendez-Laing Denies Assault Charges Against Wife

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has denied assaulting his wife after appearing before magistrates over an alleged attack at the couple’s home.

The MK Dons winger, 34, is accused of assault by beating against his wife, Saira Mendez-Laing, at their luxury property in Shenstone, Staffordshire, in June.

Police were called to the address and Mendez-Laing, a former Premier League player with Cardiff City and Wolves, was arrested and later charged.

He appeared at Cannock magistrates’ court on Friday, arriving on crutches, and 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, the mother of Mendez-Laing’s child, had allegedly been repeatedly struck over the head and suffered an arm injury during the incident. The confrontation was 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 forward conditional bail and set a trial date for January next year.

Birmingham-born Mendez-Laing, a former England under-17 international, represents Guatemala at senior level through his mother and maternal grandmother, who were both born in the Central American country.

He scored four goals in 20 Premier League appearances for Cardiff in the 2019/20 season before leaving the club in September 2020.

Mendez-Laing married Saira in June last year, with MK Dons marking the occasion by posting a wedding photo and congratulations on the club’s official social media channels.

MK Dons, currently 19th in League One, said it could not comment on an ongoing court case.