Argentine court hand down verdict in case against France players accused of rape
France duo Hugo Auradou (lock) and Oscar Jegou (flanker).
Charges were dismissed against two France players who were accused of the aggravated rape of a woman after representing their country in a Test against Argentina in July.
Les Bleus forward duo Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, who are both aged 21, were arrested within days of the incident and subsequently charged.
Auradou, who plays as a second-row for Top 14 outfit Pau and Jegou, who features on the flank for fellow French club La Rochelle, were arrested two days after making their Test debuts for France in a 28-13 victory over Argentina in Mendoza in July.
Auradou and Jegou met a 39-year-old woman in a nightclub before she accused them of a vicious sexual assault in a hotel room.
However, the players insisted they had consensual sex with the woman following a night of partying.
The judge in Mendoza dismissed the case following the advice of the prosecution who asked that the charges be dropped due to inconsistencies in the woman’s story regarding the incident.
‘Act was consensual’
“As we expected, the French players have been acquitted because the (sexual) act was consensual, meaning there was no crime and no doubt that they are innocent,” defence attorney German Hnatow told AFP.
The French Rugby Federation (FFR) expressed “relief and satisfaction” at the verdict and said it meant that Auradou and Jegou are now available to be selected for France again “if their sporting performances allow for it.”
The complainant’s lawyer Natacha Romano said she planned to appeal the dismissal of the case.
Disgraced France international who was sentenced for domestic violence arrested AGAIN
Auradou and Jegou were not present in Argentina for the ruling which was made on Tuesday.
The players were initially in custody in a Mendoza prison, before being released on house arrest and were then allowed to return to Buenos Aires before heading back to France nearly two months later after prosecutors said the case against them had weakened.
Their lawyer, Antoine Vey, who is based in Paris hailed their “judicial rehabilitation.”
He said for the players’ “clubs, families and the FFR, it was a day they have been waiting for and, which, I hope, will close the difficult chapter that they experienced.”
France’s summer tour of Argentina was overshadowed by the accusations against Auradou and Jegou as well as racist remarks made on social media by fullback Melvyn Jaminet, for which he was sent home and given a 34-week suspension.
Les Bleus’ disciplinary system overhauled
In October, FFR president Florian Grill announced that his organisation would overhaul the disciplinary system of France’s teams following the two incidents.
Grill also promised to stop the “fourth and fifth half” post-match celebrations that was prevalent in Mendoza.
“There will be financial or sporting sanctions” in the future, he said, regretting in previous years “a form of acceptance of these excesses which could sometimes even be organised.”
“We cannot take all the positives from rugby, ask brands and partners to associate their image with our presupposed values and not respect them.”
