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French singer Patrick Bruel was taken into police custody on Monday morning as part of an investigation into sexual violence, according to the Nanterre public prosecutor's office. Bruel has already canceled most of his tour, including concerts in Switzerland. (archive picture)
Keystone
French singer Patrick Bruel was taken into police custody on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation. The judiciary is investigating allegations of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault. There are now said to be a total of 13 alleged victims.
French singer Patrick Bruel was taken into police custody on Monday morning as part of an investigation by the Nanterre public prosecutor's office. Several women have accused him of rape and sexual assault.
Under pressure from the allegations, the 67-year-old French star already canceled most of the concerts on his upcoming tour a few days ago. The tour was due to begin in Paris in mid-June and would have taken him to Switzerland for two concerts. Canceled is his appearance on June 25 in Pully and the following day at the Bellarena Indoor Festival in Fribourg.
In addition, a case from 2019 at the Paléo in Nyon, which had remained confidential until then, came to light at the end of May. This case led to a financial settlement in court proceedings in 2022. Since the 2019 incident, Bruel has been unwelcome at the Paléo and the festival no longer includes him in the program. At the time, a volunteer masseuse filed a complaint after Bruel was allegedly naked during the massage and also demanded to massage his private parts.
On Monday, the public prosecutor's office said that the singer was being questioned about "facts that currently concern 13 alleged victims". The authorities thus confirmed a report by "franceinfo". Bruel's pre-trial detention in the premises of the Paris police's criminal investigation department can last up to 48 hours.
The ongoing investigations "relate to allegations made by three women accusing Patrick Bruel of sexual assault and attempted rape" in 1997, 2000 and 2001, the public prosecutor's office added. It is also investigating "cases of rape or attempted rape, sexual assault and harassment" reported by other alleged victims identified in the course of the investigation.
Patrick Bruel is also being questioned about an "official complaint from the Belgian authorities", which stems from a complaint of rape and sexual assault in Brussels in 2010 by a then 40-year-old woman.
The singer "had already made it clear for several weeks that he was at the disposal of the justice system in order to finally be able to make a statement to the competent authority in the context of the legal proceedings", his lawyers Christophe Ingrain, Céline Lasek and Fanny Colin said in a statement. He will "answer all the investigators' questions and provide all the necessary elements to prove his innocence".
08.06.2026, 12:42
08.06.2026, 15:08
