Romain Verley – author of the book PPDA, The Black Prince published Wednesday by Fayard – and its publisher, have decided to anonymize the testimony of a complainant in the PPDA case in the event of a reprint of the book, France Inter reports Thursday, February 9. This is already the case for 5,000 new copies which have therefore been amended.
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The woman who accuses PPDA of rape and who wishes to remain anonymous had already testified to Médiapart openly to affirm that she had been raped by Patrick Poivre d’Arvor. She did not, however, recount the details of this attack. The content of her hearing before the investigators as well as her name – which appear in the book – were therefore taken up – according to her – without her consent.
Methods that several women, also cited in the book, denounce. They claim respect for anonymity. According to them, the author has “raped” their “consent” publishing stories of violence without their permission.
This is the case of Hélène Devynck, a journalist who filed a complaint for “rape” against the former presenter of the JT. She does not challenge the project of the book but questions the methods used by the author. She denounces in particular the fact that the content of this hearing (mentioned above) – carried out as part of the investigation – can be found in the book and be read publicly without the consent of the person concerned. According to her, Romain Verley “has used testimonies that we have given elsewhere, or in court, or in front of the press, without asking our opinion”.
“Invasion of privacy”
As revealed The Parisianthe complainant, who wishes to remain anonymous, took legal action on Tuesday, February 7, the day before the publication of the book, for “invasion of privacy” and asking “the deletion of the extracts which concern it, under penalty of 500 euros per day of delay”, through a summary procedure. A request that has not been heard by the courts since the publication of the book as is has been authorized and the works printed in 20,000 copies. The judges considered that “the information in question participates in informing the public and is therefore likely to authorize, taking into account the general interest attached to the subject treated, the journalist to report on it, notwithstanding the absence of authorization in this sense of the plaintiff.”
Contacted by France Inter, the author, Romain Verley, recalls that justice has given him reason. With his editor, however, he decided to anonymize the testimony in question in the event of a reprint of the book. This is already the case for 5,000 new copies.
The 400-page book looks back on a year and a half of investigations around the former presenter of the TF1 newscast targeted by two legal investigations in Nanterre. Several dozen women testified and 23 filed complaints, including 12 for rape. Charges that PPDA denies. He has also filed a complaint against 16 women for “slanderous denunciations.”