The French singer and actor Patrick Bruel, 67, has been in police custody since Monday following complaints from at least 13 women for alleged sexual assault, attempted sexual assault and harassment, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office reported.
Bruel, who rose to fame in the French-speaking world in the 1980s and 1990s with hits that marked pop culture, has also participated in more than 40 film and television productions. The artist denies the accusations.
The investigation began after three women accused him of events that occurred in 1997, 2000 and 2001. During the process, other women were identified and interviewed, whose complaints included alleged sexual assaults and harassment.
In addition, an investigation opened in western France into an alleged sexual assault in 2012 in Dinard was transferred to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office. Also, the Belgian authorities notified the French prosecutor’s office of a complaint from a woman who accuses Bruel of events in Brussels in 2010.
The singer’s lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, Céline Lasek and Fanny Colin, said in a statement that Bruel “was at the disposal of the judicial authorities to be able to finally respond through appropriate legal procedures.”




