Sexual Assault Accusations | French Filmmakers Jacquot and Doillon Continue to Be Held in Police Custody

(Paris) The custody of French filmmakers Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, accused of sexual violence in particular by actress Judith Godrèche, continued on Tuesday at the Brigade for the Protection of Minors (BPM), we learned from a source close to the case.

The two filmmakers, who deny the accusations, were summoned with their lawyers on Monday morning. Their custody could last 48 hours.

They are being questioned as part of an investigation by the Paris public prosecutor’s office into rape of a minor under 15 by a person in authority, rape, violence by a partner, and sexual assault of a minor over 15 by a person in authority.

Benoît Jacquot’s lawyers, M^e Julia Minkowski, and Jacques Doillon, M^e Marie Dosé, denounced the attack on the presumption of innocence of their clients and the framework of their hearing.

Jacques Doillon “should have been heard in the context of a free hearing in view of the age of the facts, their statute of limitations acquired for more than two decades, and the inevitable dismissal without further action which will close this investigation”, Mr.^e Dose.

M^e Minkowski deplored “all of these dysfunctions of justice, thanks to excessive media coverage which leads to unacceptable excesses.”

The investigation was launched after Judith Godrèche filed a complaint. The 52-year-old actress had publicly accused Benoît Jacquot of rape and then Jacques Doillon of sexual assault in early February, sparking a new storm in the #metoo movement in French cinema.

Mr. Jacquot and Mr.^me Godrèche, born in March 1972, began their relationship in the spring of 1986. They lived openly together until their separation in 1992. For the actress, these were rapes in a relationship of “control” and “perversion”.

Regarding Mr. Doillon, the actress accuses the filmmaker of “putting his fingers in her pants” during tests for a film released in 1989. She was 15 at the time and in a relationship with Benoît Jacquot.

Two other actresses, Isild le Besco and Julia Roy, have also filed complaints against Mr. Jacquot.

According to sources close to the case, these police custody sessions should be an opportunity for confrontations between each of the directors and some of their respective accusers, including Ms.^me Godrèche.