The trial of a group of rugby players accused of gang raping a student after a 2017 match by leading French team Grenoble was set to commence on Monday.
However, just hours before its scheduled start, two defense lawyers indicated that the proceedings might be postponed due to the absence of one of the defendants, Irishman Denis Coulson.
French sports publication LâEquipe reported that Coulson had been injured in a traffic accident the previous week.
A source close to the defense team informed AFP that Coulsonâs lawyer had requested either a deferral of the trial or for his case to be addressed separately at a later date.
The trial is expected to focus on whether the young woman, now 27, was in a state too intoxicated to consent to sexual activity.
One of her lawyers, Anne Cadiot-Feidt, told AFP, âWhat is consent? At what point is it diminished or even totally absent?â
The woman, identified only as V., has chosen to remain anonymous as per her lawyers.
Former Grenoble players Coulson, Rory Grice from New Zealand, and Loick Jammes from France, aged 30, 34, and 29 respectively, are accused of raping her.
Two former teammates, Irishman Chris Farrell aged 31, a member of the 2018 Six Nations Grand Slam-winning squad from Ireland, and 30-year-old New Zealander Dylan Hayes, are being tried for failure to prevent a crime.
V. and two friends encountered the rugby players at a Bordeaux bar after a Grenoble team match on March 11, 2017, a few months prior to the initiation of the #MeToo movement in the United States.
The group consumed various cocktails including mojitos and vodka mixed with Red Bull as they moved to a nightclub.
â 10 times the limit â
V. stated that she had no recollection of how the night concluded after leaving the nightclub.
She left the club with Coulson in a taxi heading towards the playersâ hotel around 4:00 am.
A toxicology report determined that V. had between 2.2 and 3.0 grams of alcohol per liter of blood at that time, significantly exceeding the legal limit for driving in France.
Surveillance footage from her arrival at the hotel showed her struggling to stand while Coulson assisted her. He also seemed to prevent her from re-entering the taxi twice.
V. woke up naked on a bed with an object in her vagina around 7:00 am alongside two naked men and others in clothing.
Her lawyer, Cadiot-Feidt, mentioned that the trial arguments would likely revolve around âthe question of the victimâs responsibility in a situation where she voluntarily placed herself in a state that reduces or eliminates consent.â
âWe often question the victimâs consent and not the perception of consent by the perpetrators,â she added.
â âHigh level of toleranceâ â
Testimonies from the defendants and witnesses, as well as a video filmed by Coulson during a sexual act, indicated that V. engaged in oral sex and was penetrated with objects by the defendants including a bottle and crutches.
Coulson, Jammes, and Grice admitted to engaging in sexual acts with V. but claimed they were consensual.
Jammesâs lawyer, Denis Dreyfus, anticipated that the proceedings would focus on the challenge of obtaining consent when all parties involved are intoxicated.
âItâs definitely a tragedy for both sides,â he remarked.
Corinne Dreyfus-Schmidt, representing Coulson, stated, âThis is not the trial of rapist rugby players; itâs the trial of alcohol.â
She added that the #MeToo movementâs âclimateâ did not facilitate understanding in such cases.
âThe real issue in this case is all these young people consuming alcohol to such an extent,â Dreyfus-Schmidt noted.
Cadiot-Feidt, the womanâs lawyer, criticized the âhigh level of toleranceâ towards alcohol-related incidents within some French rugby clubs and among fans.
âMany still believe that the woman should have refrained from going out, drinking, or finding herself in that situation,â she expressed.
She expressed hope that the case would contribute to better prevention of sexual violence within specific sports cultures.
âClubs have clear guidelines,â she stated. âBut in practice, much more needs to be done.â
A similar case in Northern Ireland sparked protests after two Ireland rugby players accused of raping a woman in Belfast were acquitted by a court in 2018, two years after the incident.
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