The judge responsible for overseeing a rape complaint brought against filmmaker Luc Besson today dismissed the case following a lengthy investigation. This follows a request made by the Paris public prosecutor’s office in October that the case brought by actress Sand Van Roy be tossed out.
Besson’s attorney, Thierry Marembert, said today, “After three-and-a-half years, and the testimony of many witnesses, the Investigating Judge has dismissed the case and all allegations of criminal rape against Luc Besson. Mr. Besson has been fighting these false allegations for several years, and this dismissal finally and fully exonerates him of all charges brought against him… Now that these false allegations have been completely dismissed, the declaration of innocence by the Investigating Judge and the Public Prosecutor should be respected. Mr. Besson looks forward to continuing to devote himself to his films.”
However, an appeal against the dismissal is expected. Van Roy’s attorney, Francis Szpiner, told FranceInfo that the decision was “not a surprise” and said, “of course we will appeal.” According to French law, the civil party can appeal against a dismissal order issued by the investigating judge within 10 days.
Van Roy alleged in 2018 she had been raped multiple times by Besson. In February 2019, French prosecutors dropped their initial probe of Van Roy’s sexual assault claims against Besson. The investigation was shuttered at the time because of insufficient evidence, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. Then in October 2019, a judge ordered the latest investigation after new charges against Besson were raised in the Van Roy matter.
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