Director accused of drugging and raping actress after Cannes
A LEADING director has been accused by an actress of drugging and raping her in a Paris hotel after returning from the Cannes Film Festival.
The woman, in her twenties, claims that Luc Besson attacked her at the five-star Bristol hotel on May 10.
The 59-year-old Frenchman, a married father of five, ‘categorically denies’ the accusations, saying they are ‘fanciful’.
The actress, who is also French, alleges that she had spent the evening with Besson in his room at the Bristol.
She is said to have ‘drunk a cup of tea, felt unwell, and then lost consciousness’ before Besson allegedly attacked her, according to a source close to the case.
Besson then left the hotel at 2am, leaving behind cash for the woman but otherwise not saying a word.
The next day she went to a police station and filed a complaint for rape.
Officers confirmed that Besson, who directed hit films including The Big Blue, Nikita, Leon and The Fifth Element, faced arrest for rape.
His most recent movie was last year’s Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, starring British model and actress Cara Delevingne and pop singer Rihanna.
The film was co-produced by the director’s 46-year-old wife, Virginie Besson-Silla, who is also the mother of three of his children.
The family live in Los Angeles, although Besson frequently returns to his native France, and particularly Paris, where he was born.
Besson is also the father of two girls from previous relationships, including one with the French actress Maiwenn Le Besco, who was only 16 years old when she gave birth to their daughter Shanna.
Last night the agent for the actress who has accused Besson would not comment on her allegations.
Besson’s lawyer, Thierry Marembert, said: ‘Luc Besson categorically denies these fanciful accusations.’
Mr Marembert confirmed that the actress was someone that Besson knows but said he had ‘never behaved inappropriately’ towards her.