French actor and singer Patrick Bruel appeared before investigative judges in Paris on Wednesday to be questioned in connection with acts of rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment involving nine victims, committed between 2010 and 2019.
Bruel has been in police custody since Monday for questioning. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday that it had requested that the star remain in custody ahead of his possible trial. After the hearing, the court will decide whether to bring formal charges against Bruel.
Although not an international star, Bruel is a household name in France, with dozens of TV and film credits, including What’s in a name? (2012) and The best is yet to come (2019) in addition to several chart-topping albums as a singer.
The accusations against him emerged after an in-depth report published by a French investigative news website mediapart Eight women came forward to accuse Bruel of sexual violence against them. One of his accusers is Daniela Elstner, managing director of French film and television export agency Unifrance, who claims that Bruel sexually assaulted her in 1997 when they were attending the Unifrance French Film Festival in Acapulco, Mexico.
Elstner went public about her experience in 2017, and has spoken with media outlets including… Hollywood ReporterBut she never mentioned Bruel’s name, saying only that the alleged attacker was a prominent figure in the film industry. Following Mediapart’s investigation, she filed a formal police complaint against Broel, a move that prompted more women to come forward with allegations against the actor. The Public Prosecutor’s Office said that ongoing investigations include two counts of attempted rape dating back to 2010; Three alleged rapes in 2012, 2015 and 2019; And four incidents of alleged sexual assault or harassment, one from 2000 and three from 2019.
Prosecutors said the investigative file will also contain separate allegations from 13 women who were either dismissed or fall outside the statute of limitations, which will now be re-examined “to obtain a comprehensive view of the allegations made against Patrick Bruel.”
These allegations had an impact on Bruel’s career. He canceled a French concert tour scheduled for this summer, and Canadian event organizer Gestif recently announced that he had canceled three concert dates in Quebec that were scheduled for the end of this year. In Paris, the Edward VII Theater canceled the final performances of the play The second partyBruel’s championship after protests from feminist groups.
Bruel denies all the accusations against him. Bruel’s lawyers said in a statement on Monday that he would respond to the accusations “in the framework of judicial procedures.”
