Judge Reopens Rape Case Against French Director Luc Besson, Accuser’s Lawyer Says

The rape investigation against filmmaker Luc Besson has been reopened by a French judge, according to the lawyer of one of Besson’s accusers. The Dutch-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy reported Besson to the police in May 2018, accusing him of repeatedly raping her over a two-year period. Van Roy had roles in two of the director’s films, Taxi 5 and Valerian. Prosecutors dropped Van Roy’s case in February due to a lack of evidence, but her case prompted eight other women to come forward with allegations that they were assaulted or harassed by the director.

Van Roy’s lawyer, Francis Szpiner, told AFP on Friday that a judge had reopened the investigation after his client brought new charges against Besson. The actress claims Besson raped her four times, but she feared negative ramifications for her career if she spoke out. The Léon the Professional director denies all allegations, writing them off as “fantasist accusations.” A source told AFP that preliminary investigations are currently underway regarding allegations by another accuser.