Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
Argentine prosecutors on Friday recommended the dismissal of
rape charges brought against two French international rugby players accused of
assaulting a woman after a night out following a match.
Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, both aged 21, were held for
nearly two months in Argentina in connection with the alleged attack on a
39-year-old woman on the night of July 6 before being allowed to return to France
last month.
They deny raping the complainant in a hotel room in Mendoza,
about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) west of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires,
saying the sex was consensual.
The prosecutor's office in Mendoza recommended that the
charges of aggravated rape -- a charge used for suspected gang rape -- be
dismissed at a hearing set for October 18.
"The defence called for the charges to be dismissed and
the prosecution supports a dismissal and has asked the judge for a
hearing," Martin Ahumada, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office told
AFP.
The players' Argentine lawyer Rafael Cuneo told AFP he was
"satisfied" with the prosecution's request for a dismissal and said
the case "should be a wake-up call to reflect on wrongful accusations
against people who are innocent".
Auradou and Jegou were arrested two days after winning their
first international caps for France against Argentina in Mendoza.
The woman, whom they met in a nightclub, alleged they
assaulted her viciously in the hotel room.
A psychological assessment of the woman ordered by the
prosecution however showed "a series of inconsistencies and
contradictions" in her testimony and concluded that her version of events
was "not plausible."
Auradou will start a match for his top-flight side Pau in
Perpignan on Saturday.
His club coach Sebastien Piqueronies said at a press
conference on Friday: "You've seen him training with us and the day has
come to get him on a rugby field and that will be tomorrow.
"There is nothing to prevent him from playing rugby, he
is presumed innocent," he added.
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