The publication on March 8 of an investigation by Mediapart targeting the singer of Who has the rightcontaining the testimonies of eight women, was the starting point of “the Patrick Bruel affair”. Since then, new investigations signed Elle et Mediapart were born, extending the list of alleged victims of Patrick Bruelnotably Flavie Flament and Karine Viseur, who testified openly. The latter has moreover filed a complaint for sexual assault on March 24 concerning facts dating back to 1991 : if her case is prescribed by law, the Belgian hopes that her testimony can strengthen the case against the 67-year-old artist, while giving an international dimension to the case.
“The prey is me, and he tries everything to chase me”
In the columns of La Tribune Sunday on May 24, the fifty-year-old forcefully delivers her version of the facts of what she considers to be a sexual assault. “We are in 1991, in Brussels. I am 38 years old and I am meeting the crew of the film ‘Comme les 5 Fingers de la Main’. Upon welcoming the crew, Patrick Bruel will express his satisfaction at having a female press officer to his liking. In the vehicle, his teasing are initially modest, vague, but very quickly it becomes harassment”, she recalls to our colleagues, before depicting the feeling of impunity displayed by the man who was then at the height of his glory: “Patrick Bruel has no limits, he says what he thinks, without filter […] There are words, pressure, he always needs to have physical contact, to take me by the waist, I feel his lips on my neck, he never asks, I dodge when I can, but we feel that he is the pillar of the film, the actors leave him and respect him.”
Karine Visseur then describes the sexual assault of which she claims to be a victim, which allegedly began in the singer’s dressing room, then invited by RTBF to promote his film: “By the time I turn around, he is against me, I feel the pressure on my back, his hands gripping me, his breath on the back of my neck and I see his eyes, his face: he’s happy, frantic, happy to be against me, it’s a physical need.” The young woman would then have pushed him away, claiming to have to do her makeup, before Amanda Sthers’ ex came back to get her so that she could show him the way to the toilet: “Obviously we don’t let Patrick Bruel wander the corridors alone, so I accompany him. And there, In a split second, he grabs my wrist and pulls me into the toilet, which he locks. He leans me against the door, I can’t open it, again he presses his lips together, tries to kiss me, his hands caressing my legs, under my dress, under my tights.”
A hold from which the young Karine Viseur fortunately manages to break free. Despite the years, she does not forget the face of her alleged attacker, after what can be interpreted as an attempted rape: “I manage to get rid of that, and his face becomes completely normal again, he’s going to go into the news, It must be a very good poker player to display such a poker face in a fraction of a second. He becomes an artist again who has to go on a TV set.” She also specifies during this interview that she expressed her lack of consent on several occasions, in vain: “In the toilet, I said no several times. And he said: ‘But yes, you’ll like it, I know you’ve been waiting for this since this morning. They all like it.’ It’s a monologue: he doesn’t expect a response, in fact. He has set himself a goal, the prey is me, and he tries everything to hunt me.” A chilling testimony.
Why did Karine Viseur agree to testify openly against Patrick Bruel?
At the microphone of our colleagues, Karine Viseur explains the reasons which pushed her to break the silence. For her, but also for other potential victims: “I feel that speech is being freed, that women are gaining self-confidence, thanks to those who have already testified like me. New complaints will arrive very soon.” The one who believes she now has “the shoulders” et “nothing left to prove” focuses today on the legal finality of this large-scale case: “I am preparing for the confrontation, it will take place, that’s obvious! […] I know that in my case there is a statute of limitations, but my file is swelling, weighing down that of France, it is becoming international and serious. Since there are many of us, there is hope that these cases will be successful and that we will one day reach a trial.” Patrick Bruel, who is now the subject of three investigations for rape and sexual assault, denies all the accusations and remains presumed innocent. He should be heard soon by investigators.
