The young woman who reported French rugby players Oscar Jégou and Hugo Araudou for rape in Mendoza has requested to expand her testimonial statement. Originally, the defendants were scheduled to testify this Tuesday, but their lawyer, Rafael Cúneo Libarona, gave way to the complainant, rescheduling his clients’ testimony for Thursday, in a request made ten days ago.
Sources from the case informed that, after the statements of Jégou and Araudou, the lawyer will request the definitive release of the rugby players. The accused remain under house arrest while the investigation is ongoing, led by Cecilia Bignert, the substitute of the Prosecutor’s Office of Instruction No. 2 of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Crimes against Sexual Integrity in Mendoza.
A recent medical report, cited by the website Infobae, details several injuries on the victim’s body, including nine bruises measuring from one to ten centimeters wide in different parts of the body. “However, the analysis found no injuries to her intimate parts. The specialist who conducted the examination determined that these injuries did not prevent her from working,” the consulted sources detailed.
The indictment against the accused
Prosecutor Cecilia Bignert formally charged Oscar Jégou and Hugo Araudou with sexual abuse with aggravated carnal access due to the involvement of two people, constituting a group violation. The initial accusation of gravely outrageous conduct was withdrawn.
The victim, represented by lawyer Natacha Romano, accused the rugby players of having abused her at least six times. According to the complainant, during the early morning of July 7, both hit and bit her.
Romano stated that the victim was held for several hours and suffered “aberrant and degrading acts,” including bites, scratches, and strangulation. “The most visible injury is a punch mark she has on one of her eyes, with a bruise. Also on her neck, chin, breasts, legs, and back,” Romano described, characterizing the defendants’ behavior as “savage.”
The attack allegedly occurred in the shared room of Jégou and Araudou at the Diplomatic Hotel. In the case, the driver of the ride-hailing app who took the victim to her home also testified.
Although not all details of the driver’s testimony were revealed, attention focused on his brief description of the trip. Before the Prosecutor’s Office, the driver assured that the journey was “normal” and denied seeing signs of violence on the victim. However, he clarified that he could not confirm this with certainty as the woman was traveling in the back seat of the car.