Pippa Middleton’s dad-in-law charged with rape — Source
PARIS: The father-in-law of Pippa Middleton, whose sister Kate is married to Britain’s Prince William, has been charged in France with the rape of a minor, a legal source told on Friday, as a family spokesperson called the allegation “untrue and scandalous”.
David Matthews was taken into custody for questioning last Tuesday by investigators with France’s Brigade for the Protection of Minors in a case dating from 1998-99, after a complaint was lodged in 2017, the source said.
Being placed under judicial control means that prosecutors have attached certain conditions to his release or imposed certain limits on who he can meet or where he can go. The source did not say what conditions had been attached in Matthews’ case.
A spokesperson for the Matthews family, quoted by Britain’s Daily Mail online, said: “David Matthews categorically denies the allegation and unequivocally contests the untrue and scandalous accusation”.
His daughter-in-law Pippa Middleton married financier James Matthews last May, after shooting into the spotlight in 2011 following the wedding of her sister Kate to Prince William, the second-in-line to the throne.
David Matthews was born in Rotherham, England, and began his career selling cars before becoming a professional racing driver.
After a severe crash during a race, he turned to business, building a successful chain of dealerships before selling and becoming a property developer.
Matthews owns the Eden Rock luxury resort on the Caribbean island of St Barths, and the Glen Affric Estate in Scotland. — AFP/Reuters