At least four formal complaints of sexual violence have been filed against the French singer and actor Patrick Bruel in the Paris region alone, the city’s chief prosecutor has confirmed, as separate investigations are also under way in Belgium and western France.
Cases transferred to Nanterre prosecutor
The Paris public prosecutor has explained that complaints against Patrick Bruel will be referred to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office, which is “competent due to the suspect’s place of residence.”
According to Laure Beccuau, at least four complaints of sexual violence against Bruel have already been lodged in the Paris region, not including a recent statement by television presenter Flavie Flament, which has not yet been formally registered.
TV presenter’s rape allegation
On Friday, Flavie Flament announced that she had filed a rape complaint against Patrick Bruel. The 51-year-old presenter alleges that the singer assaulted her when she was a teenager.
Flament accuses Bruel of raping her in 1991 at the singer’s home, when she was 16. She is convinced that Bruel drugged her.
Bruel’s lawyers have rejected the rape allegations. Their client maintains that he “never drugged Flavie Flament or forced her into a sexual relationship.”
Active investigations in France and Belgium
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), three cases against Patrick Bruel are already being investigated in France and Belgium.
One case is being examined in Saint-Malo, western France, following a complaint of rape allegedly committed in the corridors of a film festival in October 2012.
In March, another complaint was filed in Paris for attempted rape and sexual harassment against Bruel. The complainant is a representative responsible for promoting French cinema abroad. The events described in her claim are said to have taken place in Mexico in 1997.
In Belgium, a judicial investigation has been opened following a complaint filed at the end of March concerning alleged sexual violence in Brussels.
New complaints from women’s rights group
On Wednesday, the Women’s Foundation organisation announced that it had lodged two further complaints against Bruel with the Nanterre prosecutor’s office – one for “sexual violence” and another for “attempted rape.”
According to the association, these two women had already filed complaints in 2019 and 2020, and are now calling for a judicial investigation to be opened.
In March, Patrick Bruel stated through one of his lawyers that he had “never tried to force anyone into a sexual act.”
“Bruelmania” and upcoming tour under threat
Patrick Bruel is a well-known French singer and actor. His rise to fame peaked at the turn of the 1990s, when journalists spoke of “Bruelmania” – a reference to Beatlemania in the 1960s.
Bruel is currently performing in La Seconde Partie (The Second Part), a play by Samuel Benchetrit, in Paris. From 16 June, he is scheduled to tour several cities across France, as well as Switzerland, Belgium and Canada. A petition, backed by feminist associations, is calling for his concerts to be cancelled.
Previous case involving photographer David Hamilton
Ten years ago, the television presenter Flavie Flament stated that she had been raped at the age of 13 by the well-known British photographer David Hamilton. The statute of limitations was too long elapsed for an investigation. Subsequently, several other women said that Hamilton had raped them when they were teenagers.
Hamilton, then 83, denied the allegations. He was later found dead at his home in Paris. The presumed cause of death was suicide.
