Argentina charges two French rugby players in shocking sexual assault case

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentine prosecutors on Friday filed charges against two French rugby players for aggravated sexual assault, the latest development in the grisly case of a woman who said she was repeatedly raped by the athletes after they took her to their hotel room and prevented her from leaving.

The public prosecutor’s office in the western city of Mendoza – where the alleged attack took place last Sunday after a friendly match between the French team and the Argentine Pumas – ordered that the two players Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou remain in custody pending their trial.

After their arrest in Buenos Aires, 21-year-old Jegou and 20-year-old Auradou were taken to Mendoza, 1,000 kilometers away, for their first court appearance on Thursday. They did not want to testify at the hearing on Friday.

The French Rugby Federation had previously stated that the players had admitted to having consensual sex with the alleged victim and denied any acts of violence.

Prosecutors said the court would soon decide whether to grant the defendant’s request for house arrest.

The victim’s lawyer, Natacha Romano’s, account of the attack sparked outrage in France and also caused a stir in Argentina, where recent scandals involving professional athletes have raised questions about misogyny and sexual violence in the sports community.

The woman says that after meeting the players at a nightclub, she was taken to their hotel room and subjected to violent, non-consensual sexual acts and prevented from leaving the room. After escaping the hotel room, the victim reported the incident to police and was given a physical, according to Romano.

In Argentina, aggravated sexual assault carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. The minimum sentence is eight years.

Authorities said the defendants would be transferred to another prison later Friday.