Two French police officers have been detained and suspended following allegations that they raped a young woman while she was in custody at a court facility in Bobigny, a town north of Paris.
According to prosecutor Eric Mathais, the woman, aged 26, accused the officers of assaulting her overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday after she had been brought before the public prosecutor’s office over alleged acts of parental neglect.
The accused officers, aged 23 and 35, are said to be relatively new in the police force. Both were taken into custody on Thursday as investigations began into the disturbing allegations.
Paris police prefect Patrice Faure confirmed in a statement on X that the two officers were immediately suspended from duty. They have since filed an administrative report presenting their version of events. Meanwhile, France’s internal police investigation unit, known as the IGPN, has taken over the case.
This incident comes amid growing scrutiny of law enforcement conduct in France. In a separate case, another police officer is set to stand trial next year for allegedly raping a woman twice inside a police station in Seine-et-Marne, also near Paris. The victim, an undocumented Angolan woman, said she was attacked after visiting the station to report a domestic violence incident.
The recent wave of such cases has reignited nationwide debate about sexual violence and the boundaries of consent in France. Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a landmark bill that defines rape as any sexual act carried out without consent. Supporters hailed the move as a crucial shift from what they described as a “culture of rape” to a “culture of consent.”
Reports says that public outrage continues to mount as citizens call for stricter accountability measures and a complete cultural reset within the French police system.
