Argentine woman raped and beaten by French rugby players: lawyer

The men were arrested in Buenos Aires on Monday after the alleged victim was found with injuries consistent with their description of the rape.

Lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona, who represents the players, told AFP that the teammates admitted to having sexual relations with the plaintiff, but that it was “consensual sex and at no time were there any signs of violence or anything like that.”

The alleged victim’s lawyer, Natacha Romano, told local media in Mendoza that her client was “brutally beaten” during the attack and suffered visible injuries to her face, head, ribs and legs.

However, she told Radio Mitre that “the most serious of these crimes is sexual abuse with intercourse,” the Argentine legal definition of rape.

According to local media reports, the alleged attack occurred on Saturday evening at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where France’s players and staff were staying for a friendly match as part of a South American tour.

Police sources, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP that, according to witnesses, the players met the woman in a bar after Saturday’s game and went with her to the hotel.

“The most notable blow is a blow to one of her eyes, several blows to the head … to the ribs, which are being examined for fractures,” Romano told the Mendoza Post.

She said the woman was locked in the hotel room where the alleged rape took place for four hours.

“Apart from the sexual assault, we are talking about a woman who was brutally beaten,” Romano told the newspaper El Sol.

French rugby and sports officials expressed shock at the allegations, but stressed the importance of allowing players to tell their side of the story.

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