A third woman has filed a sexual assault complaint against French singer and actor Patrick Bruel, adding to a growing list of allegations against the star which his lawyer has said are unfounded.
Former Belgian press attaché Karine Viseur announced that she had filed a complaint against Bruel, related to events which took place in the studios of Belgian state broadcaster RTBF in 2010, in an interview with RTL on Thursday.
Viseur’s accusation relates to an incident she says took place when she was working on the promotion for the 2010 fraternal drama Comme les cinq doigts de la main, in which the actor was one of the co-stars.
She alleges Bruel pressed against her inappropriately in the make-up room and then forced her into a restroom where he attempted to embrace her, passing his hands under her dress. The former PR filed a complaint in 2010, which she then withdrew. She told RTL that she had received very little support from the local film and TV world at the time due to Bruel’s fame and standing.
Viseur’s announcement comes one week after an in-depth report by investigative news-site Mediapart detailing allegations by eight women who accuse Bruel of acts of sexual violence between 1992 and 2019.
They included Daniela Elstner, the managing director of French cinema and TV export agency Unifrance, who took the bold step of going public with her accusations and decision to file a police complaint against Bruel.
Her complaint dates back to an incident she alleges took place during Unifrance’s French Film Festival in Acapulco, Mexico in 1997, when she was working as assistant for the body in the early stages of her career.
Contacted by Mediapart, Bruel’s lawyer Christophe Ingrain denied the allegations leveled against his client, saying Bruel had “never overridden a refusal” and “never forced anyone into a sexual act or relationship.”
Deadline also contacted Ingrain in the wake of the Mediapart report but the enquiry went unanswered. We have re-contacted Ingrain for comment on the latest public allegation.
Last week’s Mediapart report revealed that another complaint for rape had been a lodged against Bruel, related to an incident alleged to have taken place at the Dinard British Film Festival in 2012, when he was president of the jury.
The accuser has declined to comment publicly on the case which is under preliminary investigation at the public prosecutor’s office in the Normandy port town of Saint Malo.
Viseur told RTL that the fact that other women had lodged formal complaints against Bruel had given her the courage to relaunch her complaint, even if the statute of limitations had passed.
“I will not back down and if I can give a voice to other people, to other women in Belgium, I will be there to support and assist them,” she said.
English (US) ·