French Police Detain Writer Frédéric Beigbeder
Renowned 58-year-old author Frédéric Beigbeder was placed in police custody at the Po police station on Tuesday morning, December 12, as reported by France Bleu. The arrest was made as part of a preliminary investigation into an alleged rape, according to police sources. However, the writer was released in the evening, and the custody was cancelled.
The information was confirmed by prosecutor Rodolphe Jarry, who, in a press release at the end of the day, announced the cancellation of the writer's police custody. The prosecutor stated, "Frédéric Beigbeder is being questioned as part of a preliminary investigation." He clarified that the matter is not related to drugs, and he refrained from commenting further at the moment. The prosecutor also reminded that the man benefits from the presumption of innocence.
The writer was summoned to the police station on Tuesday around 9 o'clock in the morning for questioning in the context of a preliminary investigation. According to available information, a young woman filed a complaint against the writer in July. She claims to have had consensual sex with him for the first time and non-consensual sex the same night. The alleged events took place in a hotel room in Po.
Frédéric Beigbeder denied the accusations during the hearing. A source close to the case revealed that the complainant and the suspect had a relationship for several months, which began when the young woman was still a minor at the age of 17.
The writer disputes the facts he is accused of. Earlier this year at the Venice Film Festival, a group of women protested against the participation of directors Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, and Luc Besson, accusing the world's oldest film festival of putting "rapists in the spotlight."
Protest participants distributed leaflets stating that "this year, the Venice Film Festival decided to give a platform to directors involved in cases of sexual violence against women, including minors."
Previously, the 87-year-old Woody Allen faced unproven allegations of raping his adoptive seven-year-old daughter Dylan and actress Mia Farrow. Roman Polanski, aged 90, was convicted of raping a 13-year-old American girl in 1977. Last year, charges against 64-year-old Luc Besson for allegedly raping an actress in 2018 were dropped.