Two Paris policemen face preliminary charges following the rape of a tourist with one admitting having ‘consensual sex’ with her.
Both officers were among four arrested last week when a 34-year-old Canadian said she was attacked following a rowdy drinking session.
CCTV shows her entering and leaving 36 Quai des Orfevres – the famous headquarters of the city’s judicial police next door to the city’s law courts.
The woman – who is from Toronto but cannot be named for legal reasons – met the men in an Irish pub just across the Seine River from the building late one evening when they were off-duty.
The elite French police officers arrested, including a captain, a lieutenant, a brigadier and major, were all originally placed in custody.
The investigating source confirmed that the two of the policemen have now been charged, while two others were released on Saturday, reports the Daily Mail.
Under French law, preliminary charges do not necessarily lead to prosecution, but France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a statement sent to AFP that the two officers would "face the full consequences" if they were found guilty.
Sebastien Schapira, a lawyer for one of the men charged, said his client admitted consensual sex, but ‘firmly denied’ rape.
