Sophie Patterson-Spatz, the woman who has accused Gerald Darmanin of rape since 2017, appealed Wednesday against the dismissal order signed Friday in favor of the Minister of the Interior, her lawyer told AFP. “Far from any relentlessness or any revenge, Ms. Patterson simply wants to finally obtain justice and strongly disputes the merits of this order. She has therefore instructed my firm to appeal it, which was done today” , writes Me Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon in a press release to AFP.
Sophie Patterson claims to suffer from judgment
“The order recognizes that Sophie Patterson is sincere and without malevolence. However, this procedure has of course suffered from the many pitfalls from which too many rape complaints still suffer in France today: sexist prejudice, rape culture or the grip of male domination”, continues Me Tuaillon-Hibon. “She also suffered from a completely exculpatory instruction in favor of a Minister of the Interior in office at the time of the procedure”, adds the council, “the word of Mrs was not taken seriously enough, neither did most of the things she brought.”
“Determined and motivated, she wishes to repeat that she will go to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary, since her country, France, has obviously not decided to comply with European law. “, continues the press release. “Courageously, she remains standing, not only for herself but for all the victims, and she encourages all complainants who suffer this particular form of denial of justice to unite their efforts to bring about change”, concludes Me Tuaillon-Hibon. .
The investigating judge responsible for investigating rape charges made since 2017 by Sophie Patterson-Spatz signed her dismissal order on Friday, in accordance with January’s requisitions from the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Darmanin filed a complaint for slanderous denunciation
This case could take many months to reach the Court of Appeal. In a comparable case, that of the dismissal order pronounced in favor of Luc Besson after accusations of rape by the actress Sand Van Roy, six months had passed.
Sophie Patterson, 50, accuses the tenant of Beauvau of rape, sexual harassment and breach of trust, for facts which would have occurred in Paris in 2009. “For the fourth time in five years, justice affirms that no reprehensible act cannot be blamed on Mr. Gérald Darmanin”, welcomed Monday the announcement of the dismissal of the minister’s lawyers, Me Mathias Chichportich and Pierre-Olivier Sur. The minister filed a complaint for slanderous denunciation. This complaint “follows its course”, according to the lawyers.