Argentine woman raped and beaten by French rugby players: lawyer

An Argentinian woman accused two French rugby players of rape and was brutally beaten by her tormentors, her lawyer said on Wednesday. The two men claim the encounter was consensual.

Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, are awaiting transfer to the city of Mendoza, where the attack allegedly took place, and where they will be questioned by the public prosecutor. They have not been charged with any crime.

The men were arrested in Buenos Aires on Monday, two days after a friendly match against Argentina, when investigators concluded that the alleged victim’s injuries were consistent with their account of the rape.

The woman’s lawyer, Natacha Romano, told AFP on Wednesday that her client had been subjected to “brutal” violence by her tormentors and had suffered injuries to her face, back, chest, legs and ribs, as well as several bite and scratch marks.

She said the woman went with one of the men from a nightclub to a hotel room, where she was allegedly 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.”

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.

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

The alleged attack took place 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.

“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.

– ‘Blows to the head’ –

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 must be “sexual assault with sexual intercourse,” according to the Argentine definition of rape, and also the use of violence.

Mendoza prosecutor Daniela Chaler told radio station LV10 on Tuesday that the woman’s testimony contained “convincing elements” and that her injuries were consistent with her version of events, even if they were not “necessarily exclusively” the result of a sexual assault.

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) said the players denied any coercion or violence and stressed the importance of giving them the opportunity to present their arguments.

“If the facts are correct, they are incredibly serious,” association president Florian Grill told reporters in Argentina.

Grill later 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.

– ‘Trauma’-

After the first questioning in Mendoza, which is expected to take place this week, prosecutor Cecilia Bignert has 24 hours to decide whether to press charges against the players. The deadline can be extended once for a further 24 hours.

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

France head coach Fabien Galthie said news of the allegation was “traumatic” for the team, which beat Uruguay 43-28 on Wednesday in the second of three games on the South American tour.

“It was an emotionally difficult moment to deal with,” captain Baptiste Couilloud told reporters after the win.

“We were only thinking about what happened on the field today and that is the only thing that motivates us on this tour.”

Part of an FFR delegation remained in Argentina with the two accused players.

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.

burs/mlr/bjt