Patrick Bruel accused by two more women of sex abuse

Patrick Bruel, one of France's best-known pop singers and actors, has been accused by two more women of sexual abuse, their lawyer said Tuesday.

The allegations lodged this month include sexual assault and rape. They follow Bruel being charged in June with rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment in four cases, three for alleged acts in France and one in Belgium.

Further allegations have accumulated against Bruel, 67, some dating back to the 1990s. At least six other complaints for rape and sexual assault have been made against him since he was charged.

The latest accusations, first reported by Mediapart, were made by two women who allege Bruel forced himself on them.

One woman alleged Bruel raped her in 1994, when she was 19 and working as a receptionist at a hotel in Toulouse, France, where the singer regularly stayed. She alleged that he forced her to perform oral sex when she returned an item of clothing to his hotel room.

The other woman alleged that Bruel kissed her by surprise while he was appearing in a film being shot in Greece in 2005. She also accused him of sexual exhibitionism.

Iris Biehler, the lawyer for the two women, said "the time has come for the women to speak, despite the time that has lapsed".

Bruel's lawyers said the singer would reply to the accusations, "which he strongly denies", if a court takes up such "alleged acts from 20 and 30 years ago".