France’s appeals court has officially dismissed rape accusations bought against filmmaker Luc Besson by Belgian-Dutch actress Sand Van Roy.
It marks the end of a long legal battle that began when French publication Mediapart published reports from a total of nine women accusing the director of sexual harassment and assault in 2018, including Van Roy, who went on to press formal charges, claiming the Fifth Element and Leon director raped her over a two-year period. The case became emblematic of the #MeToo movement in the world of French cinema.
The rape charges were officially dropped by the Paris public prosecutor’s office in 2021 following a lengthy legal investigation and no other women pressed charges against Besson. The director has continued to deny the allegations.
The verdict from the court of cassation today (June 21) following Van Roy’s appeal clears Besson of all charges and prevents her from suing him again in France and in Europe.
Following the verdict, Van Roy immediately reacted on Twitter, writing: ‘The court of cassation has decided not to admit my appeal, which once again results in French justice refusing to examine evidence in the case. I am continuing with my current proceedings and will be taking my case to the European Court of Human Rights”, she added.
Besson recently directed Dogman, set for a September release date in France.
In a statement to Screen, Besson’s lawyer Thierry Marembert said: “This decision confirms the dismissal in favor of Luc Besson and confirms all the decisions of the last five years which have found him not guilty. It therefore puts a definitive end to this procedure initiated in 2018, during which Luc Besson was systematically cleared by all the magistrates who examined the case. As a lawyer, I welcome this exemplary procedure, which has allowed the manifestation of the truth which is that Luc Besson is innocent.”
No comments yet