Singer and actor Patrick Bruel at the funeral of actor Niels Arestrup in Paris on December 10, 2024. STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP
Prosecutors in Paris, Saint-Malo, and Belgium have opened separate investigations into the singer Patrick Bruel after several women accused him of rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault. After new allegations were reported by Elle, RTBF and Mediapart, the 66-year-old singer, through his lawyers, said he categorically denies any "violence," "brutality" or "coercion," while insisting that he "does not question the feelings experienced by the women."
On Wednesday, April 15, the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed to Le Monde that a preliminary investigation had been opened following a complaint "alleging that Patrick Bruel committed a sexual assault that may have taken place several decades ago." The investigation was first reported by Mediapart.
The complaint was filed on March 12 by Daniela Elstner, the current director general of the film organization Unifrance. She later spoke out in a detailed Mediapart investigation that gathered the testimonies of eight women accusing Bruel of sexual violence. Elstner described a sexual assault in the singer's car and an attempted rape in his bungalow in November 1997, during the French Film Festival in Acapulco, Mexico. She was 26 at the time and working as an assistant with Unifrance's logistics team, while Bruel was the star of the film K.
