Patrick Bruel, a 67-year-old French singer and actor, was placed in police custody on Monday, June 8, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., according to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office. He is being questioned at the Paris judicial police headquarters as part of an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual violence. Authorities say the case concerns about a dozen complaints and reported incidents spanning several years, some of which had only recently come to the attention of investigators.
According to the report, Bruel is expected to answer questions about newly identified allegations consolidated by the Nanterre prosecutor. These include complaints filed by Daniela Elstner alleging attempted rape and sexual assault in Acapulco in 1997, a cultural journalist alleging attempted rape in Monaco in 2000, and an employee from Bruel’s record label alleging two sexual assaults in 2002 and 2003. The investigation also covers a complaint filed in Metz regarding events dating to 2008 and another allegation of rape at a film festival in Dinard in 2012. The case had previously been transferred from the Saint-Malo prosecutor’s office to Nanterre.
Not all accusations will be addressed in this custody hearing. The complaint filed by television host Flavie Flament, who joined her case as a civil party in Paris, is not part of the questioning. Neither are allegations already known to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office, including complaints filed in 2019 in the so-called “masseuses” case, which was dismissed in December 2020, and a complaint by Ophélie Fajfer for rape and sexual assault in 2015 in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. That case was reopened despite a previous dismissal in 2022.
Bruel, who remains presumed innocent, strongly denies all accusations. His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, said the artist has never sought to force anyone into a sexual act and has never ignored a refusal, compelled a gesture, or imposed sexual relations. Under French procedure, the singer can be held in custody for up to 48 hours, until Wednesday morning, after which investigators may release him or present him to a magistrate.
The legal developments come after Mediapart published the first eight testimonies accusing Bruel more than two months ago. Since then, professional and public pressure has intensified. The final five Paris performances of the stage production in which he appeared were canceled after a new feminist protest, and much of his upcoming tour, scheduled to begin in Paris in mid-June before continuing through festivals, has also been canceled. He has withdrawn from Les Enfoirés, and three planned concerts in Montreal were canceled by the local organizer. Several other autumn concerts, however, remain scheduled for now.
