An Argentine woman accusing two French international rugby players of rape was savagely beaten by her assailants, her lawyer said on Wednesday, while the men claimed the encounter was consensual.
Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, are waiting to be transferred to Mendoza, where the assault allegedly took place and where they would be questioned by prosecutors. They have not been charged with a crime.
The men were arrested in Buenos Aires on Monday, two days after a Test match against Argentina, when investigators determined the alleged victim’s injuries were consistent with her account of rape.
Photo: AFP
The woman’s lawyer, Natacha Romano, on Wednesday said that her client had suffered “fierce” violence at the hands of her assailants, with injuries to her face, back, breasts, legs and ribs, as well as various bite and scratch marks.
She said the woman had gone with one of the men from a nightclub to a hotel room, where she alleges she was held against her will and abused for several hours.
“The violence was fierce,” Romano said. “There is more than one crime to investigate.”
The woman claims to have been raped “at least six times” by one of the men and once by the other, the lawyer said.
She allegedly tried to escape several times.
Lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona, who represents the players, said that “sexual relations” had been “consensual.”
The alleged attack took place on Saturday night at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where France’s players and staff were staying for a Test match as part of a South American tour.
“There are witnesses who saw her leave [the hotel], there are cameras that saw her leave, apparently no injuries are seen in the footage,” Libarona — who is the brother of Argentine Minister of Justice Mariano Cuneo Libarona — told journalists.
Romano said that “the overwhelming proof that there was no consent is the victim’s body” and the wounds it bears.
If the men are charged, she would ask the court to remand them in pretrial custody, the lawyer said.
The charge should be “sexual assault with carnal access,” the Argentine legal definition for rape, along with use of violence, she said.
Mendoza prosecutor Daniela Chaler on Tuesday told LV10 radio there were “convincing elements” in the statement the woman made and that her injuries were compatible with her version of events, although they were not “necessarily exclusive” to sexual assault.
The French Rugby Federation said the players have denied any coercion or violence, and stressed the importance of giving them an opportunity to make their case.
“If the facts are true, they are incredibly serious,” federation president Florian Grill told reporters in Argentina.
Grill later said the players have “a quite different version” of events to that of the woman, with “a lot of inconsistencies.”
“We are not judges, we are not investigators, but we think that the Argentine justice system should look at the case very quickly,” he said.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS