SACRÉ BLEU

Popular French Actor-Director Held by Police Over Alleged Sexual Assault

A lawyer for Nicolas Bedos, who was detained by police in connection to the alleged incident, said it “could only have been accidental” and the result of “drunkenness.”

Nicolas Bedos, a prominent French filmmaker, actor, and comedian, was released Thursday evening after spending more than 24 hours in police custody in Paris, according to Variety. The 44-year-old director, known for movies like La Belle Époque and Masquerade, was detained on Wednesday in connection to an alleged sexual assault in a Parisian nightclub. An unnamed 25-year-old woman alleged that Bedos “placed his hand… at the level of her panties,” according to a complaint obtained by the news agency AFP. Julia Minkowski, a lawyer for Bedos, confirmed to Variety in a statement that Bedos had been released from custody and had been “able to explain himself” to police. “He does not want to question the plaintiff’s testimony which describes an inappropriate gesture of a few seconds over jeans,” she continued, “but such a gesture, which he does not remember and would have occurred on the dance floor of a nightclub, could only have been accidental, under the influence of drunkenness.” Minkowski said her client had apologized to the alleged victim.