Patrick Bruel faces new rape and assault complaints after court release

Two days after being released from the Nanterre court under judicial control, French singer Patrick Bruel was served with two additional complaints on 12 June. One alleges rape and sexual assault, the other alleges attempted rape and sexual assault. A 45‑year‑old psychotherapist, one of the complainants, said she met Bruel in the early 2000s and recounted an encounter in a hotel room, saying, “J’ouvre la porte, il est tout nu, il me pousse contre le mur et essaye de m’embrasser, je le repousse, je pars.” Bruel is already under formal investigation in four separate cases and is listed as an assisted witness in several others, with restrictions that prohibit contact with the complainants and confiscate his passport.

The legal troubles have sparked a cascade of professional repercussions. Concerts scheduled in France and Canada have been cancelled, his participation in several festivals withdrawn, and a Paris theatre production he was starring in was also called off after protests by feminist groups. The accumulating accusations and court measures are intensifying scrutiny of the artist’s career and personal conduct.