Starmer remains an enigma in the eyes of many voters, who are predicted to propel him to Downing Street after Thursday's general election
world1 day ago
French authorities on Monday detained leading film directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for questioning over accusations of sexual abuse, sources close to the case said.
An AFP journalist saw both men, who have denied the allegations, arrive at a Paris police station on Monday morning, accompanied by their lawyers.
Judith Godreche, a 52-year-old actor and director, has formally accused Jacquot of rape and Doillon of sexual assault when she was a minor, accusations both men deny.
She has described Jacquot of having an unhealthy "hold" over her during a relationship with him that started when she was 14, from in 1986 to 1992.
She has accused Doillon of abuse on set when she acted in one of his films.
Fellow actor Isild Le Besco, 41, has also formally accused Jacquot of raping her between 1998 and 2007 during a toxic relationship that started when she was 16 and he was 52.
Actor Julia Roy, 34, has also filed a complaint against him for sexual assault, during "a context of violence and moral constraint which lasted several years", a source close to the case said.
The director's lawyers said there had been no need to detain them in order to question them, and stressed they should be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Jacquot's lawyer, Julia Minkowski, said her client would "finally be able to express himself before the law".
Doillon's attorney, Marie Dose, said no legal criteria could justify his being detained for questioning "36 years" after the incident alleged by Godreche.
The sources close to the case said their interrogation could include a confrontation with the person or persons accusing them.
Godreche on Instagram wrote she was deeply moved that police had finally summoned the two directors.
"I'm crying... From all this... I don't know if I have the strength but I will have it. I will have it... For her," she wrote, posting a picture of her teenage self next to Jacquot, 25 years her senior.
The French film industry is reeling from accusations it has too long provided cover for abuse, including after a series of allegations against 75-year-old screen legend Gerard Depardieu, all of which he denies.
Since breaking her silence, Godreche has become a leading voice in France's #MeToo movement.
After she appealed for a cinema oversight body, parliament in May voted to create a commission to investigate sexual and gender-based violence in the film industry and other cultural sectors.
Starmer remains an enigma in the eyes of many voters, who are predicted to propel him to Downing Street after Thursday's general election
world1 day ago
Ramaphosa's new coalition is the first of its kind in the country after 30 years of rule by the African National Congress
world2 days ago
Turk blames the rise of populist, extremist politics on the Covid-19 pandemic and rising living costs that have 'disenfranchised, disillusioned, a large segment of the population'
world2 days ago
The scheme, uncovered by journalists and families searching for lost relatives, saw babies stolen from their mothers and then sold to adoptive parents in Georgia and abroad
world2 days ago
The authority affirmed its concern for all of its citizens and guaranteed on following up on their safety
world2 days ago
More than 150,000 people in the Palestinian territory have contracted skin diseases due to the squalid living conditions, according to the World Health Organisation
world2 days ago
It will result, at the very least, in delays to any further trials of Trump, and may lead to cases being thrown out altogether, say legal experts
world2 days ago
Wildfires have become more common and devastating in Greece in recent years because of climate change, according to scientists
world2 days ago