Complainant’s lawyer denounces “terrible” violence

The lawyer for the woman who filed a complaint against the two Frenchmen Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou has given details of the story of her client, who claims to have been raped and assaulted on several occasions.

The complainant who accuses two French rugby players of rape in Argentina has suffered a “terrible violence”, denounced his lawyer, Natacha Romano, on Wednesday July 11 to AFP. “Gender-based violence is extremely serious, the degradation is extreme (…) The violence here has been terrible,” she said.

Pau second row Hugo Auradou, 20, and La Rochelle third row Oscar Jegou, 21, left Buenos Aires during the day to be transferred to Mendoza, 1,100 kilometres from the capital, in the west of the country, where they must face justice.

Their lawyer denies the accusations. Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou have “confirmed having had sexual intercourse with the young woman during the night but (…) firmly denied any form of violence”, according to a press release on Tuesday from the French Rugby Federation (FFR).

The French XV players were taken into custody after their arrest on Monday as part of the investigation opened for sexual violence. Under Argentine law, this can characterize acts ranging from sexual assault to aggravated rape, which could be punishable by twenty years in prison.

“This would be a seriously atrocious sexual abuse, with sexual intercourse, with the participation of two people, with violence, for both”Natacha Romano told AFP, referring to an assault “with carnal access”the judicial definition of rape in Argentina.

According to the lawyer, her client returned to the hotel with one of the players involved, “identified as Hugo”. Still according to his story“he immediately grabs her, throws her on the bed, begins to undress her and starts to hit her savagely with one punch, the bruise of which is visible on the victim’s face. He suffocates her, to the point that she feels like she is going away.”

She claims that Oscar Jegou, who arrived in the room an hour later, committed “the same acts of violence and sexual abuse”. “Then this individual goes to take a bath, and Hugo continues to use her, giving her different blows. That is to say, she [a des traces] bites, scratches, blows to the breasts, legs and ribs marked in the back”, explains the lawyer, who claims that the victim tried to escape “at least five times”, in vain.

FFR president Florian Grill, who met the two players in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, told AFP that he hoped that “justice moves quickly”pointing “inconsistencies”.

“We went to see today [mercredi] in Mendoza, a right-hand man of the prosecutor and the person in charge of the case: the lawyer was able to present several points that question the initial statement and that will call into question several statements”he added.

For their part, the players refute the victim’s version, and claim that there was sexual intercourse with her, but consensual. “Witnesses saw her go out [de l’hôtel]the cameras saw her come out, there are no signs of beatings, apparently, according to the recordings. She claims to have been beaten, the cameras say she was not”said Rafael Cuneo Libarona, the rugby players’ lawyer.

The alleged attack took place on the night of Saturday to Sunday at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where French players and staff were staying, after the victory (28-13) of the French XV against the Pumas.

According to Mendoza Attorney General Daniela Chaler, “the deposition [de la plaignante] was quite long, complete, detailed and corresponded, for the time being, to the forensic conclusions”. “The injuries are consistent with the victim’s account but not necessarily exclusively the result of sexual assault.”added the magistrate who requested the provisional detention of the two players on LV10 radio.

“If the investigation establishes the facts alleged, they constitute an unspeakable atrocity. My thoughts are with the victim,” wrote about X Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French Minister of Sports, after the revelation of the affair which plunged the French XV into turmoil.

“It was a very difficult day, very, very hard. A very difficult time to live through,” said the coach of the Blues Fabien Galthié on Tuesday. Victorious over Uruguay (43-28), the XV of France must once again challenge the Pumas on Saturday in Buenos Aires.