PARIS – Patrick Bruel, a prominent French singer and actor, faces preliminary charges on multiple allegations, including rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment involving several women from 2008 to 2019, as reported by a prosecutor’s office on Thursday. Following these charges, Bruel has been released under stringent judicial supervision.
At 67, Bruel has firmly denied all accusations against him.
On Wednesday, he was presented before four investigative judges at the Nanterre court, situated in the western suburbs of Paris, after being held in police custody for two days.
According to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office, the investigation delves into allegations of rape dating back to 2008 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, an attempted rape in 2010 in Brussels, as well as incidents of sexual assault and harassment in Perpignan, southern France, and Ajaccio, Corsica, both occurring in 2019.
The probe further extends to examine additional accusations of rape, attempted rape, and sexual harassment spanning between 2010 and 2019 across three French cities and in Nyon, Switzerland, prosecutors noted.
Some allegations that had previously been dismissed without further action were reexamined and included in the case, the prosecutor’s office said.
Bruel was released under judicial supervision and barred from leaving France. He was ordered to surrender his passport, undergo psychological treatment and post bail of 500,000 euros ($576,760). He is also prohibited from contacting his accusers or members of their families and from entering massage parlors, where some of the alleged offenses are alleged to have occurred.
Bruel’s lawyers said in a statement the singer would cooperate fully with the investigation and remains available to the judicial authorities.
In recent weeks, a series of media reports, notably by French investigative website Mediapart, brought into public attention allegations by multiple women spanning several decades against Bruel, prompting additional complaints to be filed.
Prosecutors said accusations by other women that appear to be barred by the statute of limitations have nevertheless been attached to the case file so investigating judges can gain a broader understanding of the allegations. Complaints filed in other jurisdictions could later be added to the Nanterre investigation.
Bruel became one of the biggest stars in the French-speaking world in the late 1980s and 1990s. His popularity was so intense that French media coined the term “Bruelmania,” drawing comparisons with Beatlemania.
Hit songs from his 1989 second album have became part of French popular culture, addressing universal themes including love, heartbreak, nostalgia and childhood and bringing together generations of fans. Bruel later built a parallel acting career, appearing in dozens of film and television productions.
He canceled last month all shows planned this summer in France, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium and at the end of the year in Canada.
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