French star Patrick Bruel denies multiple rape charges | France

French singer and actor Patrick Bruel, who has repeatedly accused him of being raped, pleaded not guilty on Sunday and said he would not quit his job.

The Paris prosecutor’s office announced earlier on Sunday that Bruel was the subject of at least four rape complaints. Franceand that the cases be investigated together.

“I have never forced a woman,” Bruel he wrote in a statement he shared on his Instagram page. And if I’ve offended anyone, I’m sorry.

Bruel, who has had several best-selling albums and appeared in more than 40 films, has also faced further scrutiny in Belgium after complaints of sexual harassment in Brussels were filed in March.

The 67-year-old, who is performing in Paris, is set to embark on a concert tour on June 16 that will take him around France, as well as Switzerland, Belgium and Canada.

A petition is circulating, supported by feminist groups, calling for the concerts to be banned.

But Bruel insisted on Sunday that “he will continue to do my job, with the same commitment and the same passion”.

Since March the French search site Mediapart he has published what women say who accused Bruel of torture and rape.

Bruel’s statement on Sunday was in response to what was said in Mediapart by television presenter Flavie Flament.

On Sunday Bruel said their relationship was not “violent, or coercive, or abusive”.

He wrote: “I have never used my fame to bully anyone or make friends. I understand that our age difference can make people suspicious of each other these days.”

He added: “For several weeks, many people have been criticizing me in public, without trial, as if the number of accusations against me were enough to prove the truth.

Bruel’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, has previously told Agence France-Presse that the courts have already ruled on some of the charges against his client. This includes cases of rape and assault by massage therapists in 2019. The initial investigation was closed due to lack of evidence.

The star is the latest in a string of French film and music celebrities to face defamation allegations. Last year, movie legend Gérard Depardieu he was found guilty for raping two women during the filming of a movie in 2021 and was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence. His appeal will be heard in November.