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Irish, Kiwi and Aussie rugby players questioned in France over rape complaint

Six Grenoble players including two Irishmen, two New Zealanders and an Australian, were detained by French police on Wednesday following a rape complaint, prosecutors said.

Published: 22 March 2017 16:41 CET
Irish, Kiwi and Aussie rugby players questioned in France over rape complaint
Grenoble players prepare for a match. Illustration photo: AFP

The six were detained and questioned at Grenoble police station following a complaint by a young woman that she had been raped by the players after meeting them at a nightclub following their Top 14 match against Bordeaux-Belges on March 11.

Bordeaux police investigating the complaint were dispatched to Grenoble to carry out the questioning of the players who arrived at the Grenoble police station at around 8:40 am (0740 GMT) on Wednesday.

Three were accompanied by lawyers while the other three were apparently not represented and entered the police station through a back door.

A lawyer for for one of the Irish players said her client was “serene” after being questioned for around two and a half hours.

“This was an evening between consenting young people and important elements will appear during the day,” she was quoted by regional daily Le Dauphine Libere as saying.

Police also questioned Grenoble club official Michel Martinez for two hours at the police station as a witness, the Dauphine Libere newspaper reported.

It said several other Grenoble club officials and players were also expected to be questioned during the day as witnesses.

On Friday Grenoble took the decision to sack the players facing accusations of drugging and raping a girl they met in a nightclub, the struggling French Top 14 side said.

“In order to avoid any confusion between the investigation, which concerns individual and private behaviour, and Grenoble Rugby club, we have decided to immediately lay off the players concerned as a precautionary measure,” the club said in a statement, without giving any details.

The alleged victim of the attack told police she met several Grenoble players in a nightclub last Saturday night after the club's Top 14 defeat in Bordeaux.

She said that some of them drugged her and then “forced her to go to a hotel where she was raped,” local media reported.

Grenoble club president Eric Pilaud previously told AFP that “if the case is confirmed, it's serious”.

He added that he “felt sick” at the idea that a rape had taken place.

In a statement the club said “it had total confidence in the legal system, while at the same time respecting the concept of presumption of innocence.”

It added that it would not be making any further comment until the investigation was concluded as it “did not want to interfere” with the inquiry.

Anglo rugby players in France have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks. 

All Black Ali Williams was caught in Paris buying cocaine late last month while Australian international James O'Connor was caught in possession of the drug.
 
This came just days after New Zealand rugby union legend Dan Carter was stopped for drink-driving in Paris.

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CRIME

Spain women’s World Cup players demand more heads roll as Rubiales in court

The crisis within Spanish football deepened Friday as the women's World Cup winners demanded more heads roll at its scandal-hit RFEF federation whose disgraced ex-boss appeared in court on sexual assault charges.

Published: 16 September 2023 07:56 CEST
Spain women's World Cup players demand more heads roll as Rubiales in court

Just hours after Luis Rubiales was quizzed by a judge for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso, all but two of Spain’s 23 World Cup players said they would not don the national shirt without deeper changes within the RFEF, demanding its current interim head also resign.

The statement came as the squad’s new coach Montse Tome was to announce the lineup for two upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland, which was promptly postponed, federation sources said.

“The changes put in place are not enough,” said a statement signed by 39 players, among them 21 of the 23 World Cup winners.

Demanding “fundamental changes to the RFEF’s leadership”, they called for the “resignation of the RFEF president” Pedro Rocha, who took over as interim leader when FIFA suspended Rubiales on August 26.

But the federation insisted Rocha would “lead the transition process within the RFEF until the next election”, insisting any changes would be made “gradually”.

A federation source said a leadership election could take place early next year.

“This institution is more important than individuals and it’s crucial it remains strong. We’ll work tirelessly to create stability first in order to progress later,” Rocha said in the statement.

Despite a string of recent changes, the federation remains in the hands of officials appointed by Rubiales, and the players are demanding structural changes “within the office of the president and the secretary general”.

Brought to court by a kiss

The bombshell came after days of optimism within the RFEF that the players would come round after it sacked controversial coach Jorge Vilda, appointed Tome in his stead and pledged further changes, not to mention Rubiales’ long-awaited resignation on Sunday.

On August 25, 81 Spain players, including the 23 world champions, had started a mass strike saying they would not play for the national team without significant changes at the head of the federation.

Earlier on Friday, Rubiales appeared in court where he was quizzed by Judge Francisco de Jorge who is heading up the investigation into the kiss, which sparked international outrage and saw him brought up on sexual assault charges.

At the end of the closed-door hearing, in which Rubiales repeated his claim that the kiss was consensual, the judge ordered him not to come within 200 metres of Hermoso and barred him from any contact with the player.

At the weekend, the 46-year-old had described the kiss as “a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was… 100 percent non-sexual” in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.

Hermoso, 33, has insisted it was not, describing it as “an impulsive, macho act, out of place and with no type of consent on my part”.

Speaking to reporters outside court, Hermoso’s lawyer Carla Vall said they were “very satisfied” with the hearing.

“Thanks to this video, everyone can see there was no consent whatsoever and that is what we will demonstrate in court.”

Allegations of coercion

Hermoso herself will also testify before the judge at some stage, who will then have to decide whether or not to push ahead with the prosecution. No date has been given for her testimony.

The complaint against Rubiales, which was filed by the public prosecutors’ office, cites alleged offences of sexual assault and coercion.

Under a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a category which groups all types of sexual violence.

If found guilty, Rubiales could face anything from a fine to four years in prison, sources at the public prosecutors’ office have said.

In their complaint, prosecutors explained the offence of coercion related to Hermoso’s statement saying she “and those close to her had suffered constant ongoing pressure by Luis Rubiales and his professional entourage to justify and condone” his actions.

At the hearing, Rubiales also denied coercion.

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