Denis Coulson, Loïck James and Rory Grice in court in Angoulême, France, on Friday, April 3, 2026. LOIC COUSIN/ICON SPORT
A French court on Saturday, April 4, upheld the prison sentences of up to 14 years imposed on three former rugby players who had appealed their convictions for raping a student in 2017. Irishman Denis Coulson, 31, and Frenchman Loïck Jammes, 31, had been sentenced to 14 years behind bars, and New Zealander Rory Grice, 36, to 12 years in jail. The jail terms were handed down after a trial in late 2024 over the rape of a 20-year-old student during a drunken night out in 2017.
"You are sentenced to the same penalty as in the first instance," said the presiding judge in Angoulême, southwestern France, adding that there was an "absence of significant evolution compared to the previous decision."
There were emotional scenes as the verdict was read as the three defendants, former players with Grenoble rugby club, remained motionless in the dock before speaking with their lawyers and relatives, some of whom were in tears. The victim was not present in court.
In the early hours of March 12, 2017, the student, identified only as V., was in tears as she left a hotel on the outskirts of Bordeaux, where the Grenoble team spent the night after losing a Top 14 game against local side Bordeaux-Bègles. V. filed a complaint with police, saying she had met the players in a bar together with two friends and accompanied them to a nightclub where all of them drank heavily.
