2024-07-11 19:05:12
A chilling case is causing a stir in both Argentina and France. On Monday, the players Oscar Jegou y Hugo Auradou of the French rugby team, were arrested in a hotel in the City of Buenos Aires following a complaint of sexual assault against a young woman in Mendoza, after the test match they played against Los Pumas at the Malvinas Argentinas stadium.
The repercussions reached France and the president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), Florian Grill He was forced to travel urgently to Buenos Aires with his vice president to learn the details of the judicial accusation against the players who represent his country and had a long conversation with the team’s coach, Fabien Galthié.
The players, aged 21 and 20, will be transferred to the city of Mendoza to give their statement before the judge and for the moment remain detained in a cell in the City of Buenos Aires. The charge is of sexual abuse with grossly outrageous carnal access, aggravated by being committed by two or more people, that is, a gang rape.
“We are in contact with the local authorities. We are trying to support everyone. We are also alerting the French authorities because it is a potentially very important matter. Apparently they are in a police station. A member of the delegation went to see them to bring them food. A priori, we will try to see them as well. Whatever the events, even if the first thought should go to the young woman, these are 20-year-olds. We also have to look after them but we have to know what really happened,” continued the head of French rugby, who expressed his sadness about the situation.
French sports outlet RMC Sport echoed the theories put forward by Jégou’s entourage. “The third row and his teammate Auradou admit to having had a consensual sexual relationship and that they are innocent,” the article describes, citing text messages that the rugby player sent to his family. “Jégou’s entourage is concerned about the conditions in which the player may be detained, since the Mendoza prison has a reputation for being one of the toughest in the world,” the article states.
While the case is under the jurisdiction of the Sexual Crimes prosecutor, Dario Norain France, they claim that the players are advised by a law firm of the FFR. According to the version of the accused, which is replicated by RMC Sports, the rugby players met the complainant in Mendoza, on Saturday night, July 6, after the victory of the “Bleus” against Los Pumas (28-13) and that the woman accompanied Jégou and Auradou of her own free will to the hotel where they were staying. There, they argue, they had sexual relations with consent.
Anastasia Romanothe lawyer representing the woman from Mendoza who accused two players from the French rugby team of rape, gave details of the alleged attack by the athletes against the victim, which occurred last Sunday in a hotel located in the center of the provincial capital. According to the lawyer, the Forensic Medical Corps was able to verify, among other things, that the accused subjected the woman to a violent beating.
“These were aberrant, degrading acts. Physical violence here covers up the abuse. Although the most serious thing is the sexual abuse with carnal access, the physical violence with which these two men acted has been merciless, with the physical injuries they caused her. There are visible physical injuries and others not visible,” she described.
Romano went further and detailed some of the attacks suffered by his client, based on medical tests. “We are still waiting for the results of different studies such as CT scans and MRIs. The most visible wound is a punch to one of her eyes, with a hematoma. There are also injuries to her neck, chin, breasts, legs and back. She was bitten, scratched and strangled. We describe these acts of violence as savage,” he added.