The woman who accuses rugby players Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou of rape tried to end her life on Friday. She is “currently undergoing intensive treatment”.
The Argentine plaintiff who accused two French rugby players, currently charged and banned from leaving the South American country, of rape attempted suicide, her lawyers said on Monday, on the eve of a hearing where the defense intended to request a dismissal of the case.
The 39-year-old Argentine, who accused two players Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, currently under indictment and banned from leaving the South American country, of rape in early July, attempted suicide in the early hours of Friday, her lawyers told AFP. She “tried to commit suicide on Friday and, for this reason, did not show up for the hearing” that day, said lawyer Mauricio Cardello. She “is doing well” but “will not show up” for a hearing rescheduled for Tuesday either, he added.
Jegou-Auradou case: the complainant did not attend the psychological assessment tests
She is “currently undergoing intensive treatment,” her other lawyer, Natacha Romano, told AFP. She is “in a distressed emotional state,” but “assisted by psychiatrists from the public hospital,” added Mr. Cardello. The latter had explained to journalists present in Mendoza on Friday that his client was absent from the hearing due to “gastric problems, quite severe pain,” as a result of which “she was not in a condition to come.”
According to Romano, his plaintiff attempted suicide “around 3am (6am GMT) on Friday”, but the presence of her father prevented the worst. Quoted on Mendoza radio station Radio Mitre, she also said that she had already made another suicide attempt, but without specifying when.
Request for dismissal pending?
Auradou and Jegou, two 21-year-old internationals, are charged with aggravated gang rape. The alleged acts occurred on the night of July 6-7 in a hotel room in Mendoza (west, 1,000 km from Buenos Aires), where the French XV had just won a test match against Argentina. Both had honored their first selection.
The plaintiff, who met the players at a nightclub and went to a hotel with one of them, says she was raped and abused by both — “terrible violence,” according to her lawyer. The defendants admit to sexual relations, but say they were consensual and deny any violence.
Placed in custody shortly after their arrest on July 8, the two players were placed under house arrest on the 17th, then released two weeks ago by decision of the prosecutor, although they were prohibited from leaving Argentina during the investigation. In ordering their release, the prosecutor noted “notorious contradictions, inconsistencies, gray areas” in the complainant’s version.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Auradou and Jegou’s lawyers, convinced that the prosecution’s position had weakened in recent weeks, intended to file a request for a dismissal of the case, in order to obtain their return to France.
Psychiatric expertise
The announced absence of the complainant does not prevent the players’ lawyers from filing their request for dismissal, Martin Ahumada, spokesman for the Mendoza justice system, told AFP. The hearing also included the results of a psychiatric assessment of the complainant, one of the last acts expected.
If the defense files a motion to dismiss the case, the prosecution will have to rule on it, and then a hearing will be called within a few days for a judge to examine it. According to one of the players’ Argentine lawyers, Rafael Cuneo Libarona, the entire process could take about a week.
But on Monday evening, while deploring the absence of the complainant at Tuesday’s hearing, “frustrating the procedure”, Me Cuneo Libarona indicated to the AFP that he was “still evaluating” whether or not he would present the request for dismissal on Tuesday.
Mr. Cardello has already indicated that the plaintiff’s lawyers would formally oppose a dismissal of the case and would “continue to maintain that there was indeed sexual abuse.”
AFP
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