France: accusé de viols, Patrick Bruel clame son innocence
French singer and actor Patrick Bruel, the subject of several rape complaints, reaffirmed his innocence on Sunday and assured that he would continue to "do his job," in a message posted on his Instagram account.
Earlier in the day, the Paris prosecutor's office announced that the 67-year-old artist was the subject of at least four complaints for sexual violence, not counting the one filed by television presenter Flavie Flament, and that the proceedings would be grouped together.
According to an AFP count, three investigations targeting the performer of hits "Alors regarde", "Casser la voix" and "Place des grands hommes" have been opened in France and also in Belgium after a complaint was filed for an alleged sexual assault in Brussels.
"I have never forced a woman," Patrick Bruel reaffirmed: "And if I have offended anyone, I sincerely regret it."
He also asserts that his "brief affair" with Flavie Flament was "neither violent nor coercive nor underhanded," adding that "there was no rape or drugs," even though he says he understands that "our age difference may cause a reaction today."
Flavie Flament accuses him of raping her in 1991 when she was 16 years old and the singer, then in his thirties, was at the height of his fame.
The 51-year-old presenter has become one of the leading figures in France in the fight against violence against children, after revealing ten years ago that she had been raped by photographer David Hamilton almost 30 years earlier, a period too long for the complaint to be investigated.
"I also understand that fame or status can bias a seduction relationship," Patrick Bruel added on his Instagram account, assuring that he will fight in court "to defend the truth."
"During this time, I will continue to do my job, with the same dedication and the same passion," he wrote.
The artist is currently performing in a play in Paris, "Deuxième partie" by Samuel Benchetrit, and is scheduled to begin a tour on June 16th that will take him to numerous French cities, as well as to Switzerland, Belgium, and Canada. A petition, supported in particular by feminist associations, is calling for the cancellation of these concerts.
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