French singer and actor Patrick Bruel was placed in police custody on Monday morning in Nanterre, west of Paris, as prosecutors confirmed an investigation into sexual violence allegations spanning 13 alleged victims. The 67-year-old performer, known for hits such as “Casser la voix”, is being questioned by the criminal police after a summons was issued weeks earlier, authorities said. The move marks a significant escalation in a fast-moving inquiry that has drawn intense media scrutiny since the investigative website Mediapart published initial testimonies in March.

According to the Nanterre public prosecutor, the current probe centres on three women who have reported sexual assaults and attempted rapes between 1997 and 2001, but the case file now encompasses accusations of rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and harassment from other complainants in both France and Belgium. Among the most prominent accusers is television presenter Flavie Flament, who alleges Bruel raped her in 1991 when she was 16. Flament’s account, alongside those disclosed by Mediapart — which subsequently reported that around 30 additional women have described harassment — has helped galvanise the investigation. A previously closed 2015 rape complaint has also been reopened, and authorities are examining at least four formal rape complaints.

Bruel, who has not been formally charged, has denied all allegations through his lawyers, who stated he is ready to answer questions and provide evidence. He has previously characterised his relationship with Flament as a consensual love affair. Under French law, he can be held for up to 48 hours before prosecutors must either request formal charges or release him. The cross-border dimension is notable: a separate judicial inquiry is underway in Belgium, where some alleged offences took place, and Italian and German-language media report that investigators have bundled around ten criminal complaints, a slight numerical discrepancy with the official figure of 13 that reflects ongoing consolidation of separate cases.

The case arrives amid a broader societal reckoning in France over sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry, echoing earlier controversies involving figures such as Gérard Depardieu. Viewed from London, the speed with which multiple complaints have been merged into a single investigation suggests a more coordinated judicial approach than in the past. Legal analysts note that if formal charges follow, a trial could test the French justice system’s capacity to handle historic allegations, especially with victims spread across two countries. For now, the artist remains in custodian interrogation, while Paris awaits a decision that could resonate across Europe’s #MeToo landscape.