A French police officer has been charged with rape and sexual assault following an alleged attack on a British woman while she was “drunk and handcuffed”.
The 37-year-old victim – who cannot be named for legal reasons – is said to have been arrested by three policemen before being subjected to a horrific ordeal in the back of a patrol van last week.
She was staying at a hotel in the southern town of Aubagne, close to Marseille, when officers were called on the evening of September 10.
“The woman was said to have been very drunk and causing a disturbance, so she was handcuffed and taken into custody”, a source said.
The officers placed the woman in their patrol van before driving to a police station in the coastal town of La Ciotat.
“On the way, the women was flanked by two officers, and one is said to have forcibly kissed her, and then penetrated her with his fingers,” said the source.
“The woman was handcuffed, so not in a position to resist.”
Following a complaint by the woman the next day, the three officers were arrested and taken into custody.
As a result, the two officers in the back were charged, while the third, who was driving, “remains under the status of assisted witness”, according to Marseille public prosecutor Nicolas Bessone.
The principal suspect is an officer in his 50s who has been charged with “rape and sexual assault by a person abusing the authority conferred on him by his position”, said Mr Bessone.
He was placed in pre-trial detention and one of his colleagues was charged with “voluntary failure to prevent a crime or an offence against the physical integrity of a person”.
The third man has been released under judicial supervision.
The British woman has been interviewed at length and undergone a medical examination.
She is free to return to the UK but likely to return to France for a trial.
A colleague of the police officer charged with rape said: “We are all astonished. He is a veteran officer who has never been involved in any trouble before.”
All of the officers have denied any wrongdoing, claiming CCTV footage has been misconstrued.
Beyond prosecutors and judicial police, the alleged attack is being investigated by officers from a specialist police misconduct unit.
