French rugby players questioned as rape accuser hospitalised

The Argentine woman who accuses two French rugby internationals of raping and beating her was hospitalized on Thursday, her lawyer said, while the two were taken for questioning to the city where the alleged crime took place.

Lawyer Natacha Romano said the 39-year-old woman has become emotionally and physically ill “because of everything that happened” and will be treated at a health facility for 24 to 48 hours.

Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, were arrested in Buenos Aires on Monday after the woman accused them of repeatedly raping and brutally beating her in a hotel room in the city of Mendoza after a game.

They were taken from Interpol headquarters in Buenos Aires to Mendoza on Thursday for questioning.

The players deny the allegations and say that the sexual intercourse with the woman was consensual.

Romano told AFP on Wednesday that her client had been subjected to “brutal” violence by her attackers in a hotel room; she suffered injuries to her face, back, chest, legs and ribs, as well as several bite and scratch marks.

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 made several attempts to escape.

Javier Garcia, a spokesman for Mendoza’s security ministry, told AFP the suspects were brought by land to the city, about 1,000 kilometers west of Buenos Aires, on Thursday.

The journey is expected to take between 12 and 15 hours.

Martin Ahumada, a spokesman for the Mendoza prosecutor’s office, told AFP the couple would appear before the prosecutor’s office for questioning at 9 a.m. local time on Friday.

After the initial questioning and medical examination, prosecutors have 24 hours to decide whether or not to charge the players with a crime. The deadline can be extended once for another 24 hours.

If charges are brought, a hearing will be held ten days later to decide whether the defendant must await trial in custody.

In Argentina, the penalty for sexual harassment is between six and 15 years according to the penal code. However, in the case of two offenders, the penalty can be up to 20 years.

– Raped “at least six times” –

The allegations, which have rocked French rugby and dominated headlines in Argentina, came during a South American tour by the French national team.

The alleged attack took place on Saturday evening at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where France’s players and staff were staying following their friendly victory over Argentina.

Romano told AFP that the woman went with one of the men from a nightclub to a hotel room, where she said she was held against her will and abused for several hours.

“The violence was horrific,” Romano said. “There is more than one crime that needs to be investigated.”

Lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona, who represents the players, arrived in Mendoza on Wednesday and said the “sexual relations” were “consensual.”

“There are witnesses who saw them leave (the hotel), there are cameras that saw them leave and there do not appear to be any injuries in the footage,” Libarona, the brother of the country’s Justice Minister Mariano Cuneo Libarona, told reporters.

Romano told AFP that “the overwhelming evidence that there was no consent is the victim’s body” and the wounds he bears.

If charges are brought against the men, she will ask the court to remand them in custody, the lawyer added.

The charge, said Romano, must be “rape with the use of force.”

Florian Grill, president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), who is currently in Argentina, told AFP that the players had “a completely different version” of events than the woman, who had “many inconsistencies”.

“We are not judges or investigators, but we believe that the Argentine judiciary should look into the case very quickly,” he said.

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