Patrick Bruel, one of France's most popular singers and actors, has been charged over several claims of sexual violence against women. The indictment was confirmed in a statement to Euronews by the Nanterre prosecutor.
The 67-year-old, who appeared on Wednesday before four investigating judges, is charged with "rape", "attempted rape", "sexual assault" and "sexual harassment", in connection with events that allegedly took place respectively in Neuilly-sur-Seine (2008), Brussels (2010), Perpignan (2019) and Ajaccio (2019).
He is also placed under the status of assisted witness concerning facts of "attempted rape" in Neuilly-sur-Seine (between 2010 and 2011), "rape" in Dinard (2012) and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorguee (2015), as well as "sexual harassment" in Nyon, Switzerland (2019).
The magistrates also issued an order noting the statute of limitations for an act of rape allegedly committed in Grenoble in 2000.
Bruel, who denies all the charges, escaped pre-trial detention and has been freed on a €500,000 bail under judicial supervision.
According to the prosecutor's office the conditions include a ban on him leaving France or coming into contact with the alleged victims. Bruel will also have to "justify psychological care" and is also forbidden to _"_frequent massage parlours".
The prosecution had specifically requested that he be placed under formal investigation and remanded in custody.
A case driven by a very large number of complaints
Beyond the nine victims, the case file contains a second, particularly weighty, strand. Investigators have drawn up separate proceedings concerning 13 other women. They allege extremely serious behaviour, ranging from sexual harassment and sexual assault through to acts of rape and attempted rape.
These accounts relate to incidents said to have occurred over a far longer period, between 1992 and 2008.
Although, according to the initial assessment by the prosecution, these accusations now run up against the legal time limits and appear to be statute-barred, they remain a key element in this case.
RelatedThe three investigating judges assigned to the case will therefore face the onerous task of carrying out in-depth checks to determine whether the statute of limitations has indeed expired, or whether previous procedural steps may have interrupted the clock.
Even though not all the alleged victims have formally filed a complaint, for a variety of reasons ranging from fear and the trauma suffered to the fact that the events sometimes date back many years, the accumulation of testimonies and accounts with striking similarities is helping to build up the case file. These are all elements the investigating judges will now have to examine carefully in order to establish any potential liability in this affair.
