Patrick Bruel charged with rape and sexual assault following police questioning
French actor and musician Patrick Bruel has officially been charged with rape and sexual assault following an investigation by police.
Bruel has been at the centre of a case spanning both France and Belgium, in which he is accused of multiple counts of rape and sexual assault by various women.
Earlier this week, Bruel was arrested in France and questioned by police in relation to alleged incidents with nine victims over the course of 2000 to 2019.
Subsequently, the Nanterre public prosecutor’s office has now said (via The Guardian) that he has been charged with rape and sexual assault following an investigation into four cases which included allegations of rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.
In a further four cases, Bruel was also cited as an “assisted witness”, stopping short of indictment, for incidents of alleged rape and attempted rape.
On top of this, officials in France said that another 13 complaints from women, accusing Bruel of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment from 1992 until 2008, had been added to the file for magistrates to investigate, despite the fact they “appeared to be beyond the statute of limitations at this stage”.
The entertainer was released from custody on bail in the early hours of June 11th, with his lawyers saying he strongly denies all the charges and accusations against him.
Prior to his arrest, Bruel had said when the official investigation against him last month that he was determined to continue working, as he was appearing in a play in Paris and was set to go on tour across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada starting in June.
However, following his arrest earlier in the week, five performances of the play had been cancelled, as had the entirety of the tour already been scrapped.
Bruel previously wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram on May 17th that “I have never forced a woman,” adding, “And if I have hurt anyone, I sincerely regret it.”
Separately, he is also facing a civil case brought by TV presenter Flavie Flament, who has accused him of abuse, but the actor maintained at the time that their relationship was “neither violent, nor coercive, nor underhanded”.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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