A preliminary investigation has been opened in Paris against singer Patrick Bruel following a complaint for sexual assault and attempted rape filed on March 12. The alleged incident dates back to November 1997 during a film festival in Mexico. This brings the number of ongoing investigations against the artist in France to two.
The Paris prosecutor's office has assigned the investigation to the 1st district of the Paris judicial police. The complainant, Daniela Elstner, current general director of Unifrance, accuses Patrick Bruel of an assault nearly 30 years ago at the French Film Festival in Acapulco. She was 26 at the time and working as an assistant for the organization promoting French cinema.
Daniela Elstner's lawyer, Jade Dousselin, welcomed the swift opening of the probe. “We can only rejoice at the quick opening of this preliminary investigation following Daniela Elstner's complaint,” she told AFP. She added that her client would fully cooperate to uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, a rape investigation is underway in Saint-Malo after a complaint filed on September 30, 2024. It relates to alleged events in October 2012 at the Dinard British Film Festival, chaired by Patrick Bruel. The singer's lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, declined to comment.
On March 18, through his counsel, Patrick Bruel denied ever coercing anyone into sexual acts. Previous probes into similar accusations had been dropped, including those involving masseuses in 2019 and 2020.
