Today, on the advice of her lawyers and to protect her, the complainant was not present at the hearing. She will come back tomorrow. She probably didn’t want to hear the accused tell their stories. Starting with the Irishman Denis Coulson, the one who took her back by taxi to her hotel in Mérignac on March 12, 2017, in the early morning, after a night spent drinking in bars and nightclubs.
Yes, my client is a gentleman – Denis Coulson’s lawyer
His lawyer, Maître Corinne Dreyfus-Schmidt, talks about her client’s life being shattered by this story. “He had a good education, a normal childhood. He was promised a brilliant career in rugby. After his indictment, he could no longer play in Ireland. His partner, who is a lawyer and whom he met in 2022, describes a wonderful man He apologized for delaying the trial for 6 months, because of the car accident he had last June while on his way to the airport to come. at the assizes, here, at Bordeaux. He has after-effects from this accident, he has a broken ankle and neurological problems.”
Véronique Pueyo
It is because of his state of health, moreover, that the Court authorized his father and his sister to attend the debates, which take place behind closed doors. The Court also heard by video this morning from Mike Ruddock, former coach of Wales and former coach of Leinster, in Ireland. He had spotted Coulson’s rugby talent.
We are told about Little House on the Prairie – lawyer for the civil party
When the hearing was suspended, Maître Anne Cadiot-Feidt, one of the victim’s lawyers, quipped: “This morning, it was a “Little House on the Prairie” atmosphere! There is no information, very little confidence about their states of mind. In short, we are going to have a very smooth presentation from the accused. Soon we will go for pints at the pub in Dublin. They remain united, as in other trades, there is a spirit of solidarity between them without them needing to consult together.
Véronique Pueyo
The broken destinies of the five accused
This afternoon, the court will focus on the personality of Loick Jammes, the only French of the five accused, who is currently playing in Aix-en-Provence. One of his lawyers, Maître Denis Dreyfus, of the Grenoble bar, speaks of his client as a good boy. “His father passed on his passion for rugby to him. He went to sports studies to practice his sport. He joined the French team. He had proposals for Toulouse and Castres. His presence in front of this criminal court is very hard to live with for him and his loved ones, for his friend. Of course we will plead for acquittal. No room for the slightest doubt in this file where many left with the image of these bastard players. However, that evening, everyone was looking for adventure, had drunk more than they should and the girls were looking for a relationship with rugby players. They didn’t go to this hotel room to have a cup of tea.”
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Acquittal will be argued by all defense lawyers
For Maître Valérie Coriatt, of the Marseille bar, who defends Rory Grice, also accused of gang rape, the press has the vision of the civil party in this case. “But for us, the victim was consenting, we see it in the videos. My client had a consensual relationship. Yes, his life is also broken. He is a nice boy. In any case, this case will not end the December 13. We will see but there will undoubtedly be an appeal, either from the defense or from the public prosecutor’s office.”
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As for Maître Lucien, lawyer for Dylan Hayes, prosecuted for failure to prevent a crime, it is the same speech as his defense colleagues. “I will plead for acquittal. My client, who is now unemployed, has been undergoing this procedure for 7 years like a sword of Damocles. He had to stop his career after playing in Valencia because he was injured. For him, these injuries have a connection with his indictment, this trial. He’s a man who doesn’t drink, who’s vegan, who doesn’t go out at night. He has nothing to do with this whole story. He doesn’t understand what he’s doing here.”
Véronique Pueyo
