French judge rejects rape allegations by Luc Besson – the Hollywood reporter

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A French judge has dismissed a rape complaint filed against French director Luc Besson by actress Sand Van Roy after reassessing an investigation into the alleged incident, according to AFP.

Van Roy accused the director of Fifth Element and Lucy of raping her in May 2018. After a nine-month investigation, the Paris prosecutor’s office rejected the rape allegations against Besson, citing a lack of evidence. Van Roy’s lawyer, however, filed a civil complaint, arguing that the preliminary investigation had been rushed and incomplete.

Now a second judge who has reopened the case and reviewed the investigation has come to the same conclusion.

Besson has denied the allegations.

“I have never raped a woman in my life. I never raised a hand on a woman. I have never threatened a woman, ”French newspaper Le Figaro said, citing Besson in response to the case.

Van Roy, who had small roles in Taxi 5 by Besson and Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and had an intimate relationship with the director for two years, filed the rape complaint on May 18, 2018. Following the complaint Van Roy’s initial, eight other women came forward saying they had been assaulted or harassed by the director over the years.

Van Roy could still appeal the new ruling, with the option for prosecutors to reopen the case if new evidence is presented.

Speaking to French news agency AFP, Van Roy’s lawyer Francis Szpiner said he would appeal the ruling to the European Court of Human Rights. “The Besson case is not over,” Szpiner said.

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