Dec 10, 2024 10:47 PM IST
French rugby gamers are cleared of sexual assault in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — An Argentine courtroom on Tuesday dropped aggravated sexual assault fees in opposition to two skilled French rugby gamers accused of raping a girl after taking part in a match within the nation earlier this yr.
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The choose in Mendoza, some 1,000 kilometers west of the capital of Buenos Aires, dismissed the case in opposition to the 21-year-old athletes, Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jégou, citing inadequate proof.
The explosive case started in July, when a 39-year-old Argentine lady filed a police criticism alleging that she was crushed, choked and repeatedly raped by the rugby gamers of their Mendoza resort room.
The rugby gamers have admitted to having intercourse with the plaintiff — whom they met at a Mendoza nightclub whereas reveling of their July 7 victory in opposition to Argentina’s Pumas — however insisted that the encounter was consensual.
The plaintiff can attraction the ruling. She has not mentioned whether or not she intends to and her protection lawyer didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Over the previous few months, the case slowly unraveled because the protection punched holes within the lady’s description of occasions. A courtroom in September freed the athletes from home arrest and authorised their return to France beneath sure situations.
The plaintiff’s lawyer has defined any inconsistencies in her account as the results of her “shock and extreme stress.” She underwent bodily examinations as a part of the investigation and was discovered to have an acute bleeding ulcer and different accidents that she claimed have been associated to her assault.
The French Rugby Federation expressed its “relief and satisfaction” with the judge’s decision. It said the athletes, who had been suspended due to the seriousness of the allegations, would be eligible to return to national team.
The federation added that this close shave with the law served as a reminder “of the need to create new conditions to prevent and avoid risky behavior in high-level rugby, in order to train responsible and exemplary players.”
It mentioned the group had all the time defended the presumption of innocence and advocated for the athletes’ “dignified and safe conditions” whereas on trial in Argentina.
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