A former BBC producer who was sexually assaulted in France has claimed victory after an 'archaic' French law that stopped her case from being investigated was thrown out.
Lisa Brinkworth, 58, says she was attacked by modelling firm boss Gérald Marie while she was filming an undercover documentary for the BBC's Donal McIntyre Investigates in 1998.
Ms Brinkworth finally plucked up the courage in 2020 to tell French police about what had happened but was left heartbroken when they told her she was two years too late to file a report due to French law as it exceeded the 20-year statute of limitations.
The news triggered a six-year war with the French legal system, in which Ms Brinkworth - alongside a group of 15 other women who claimed to have been raped or sexually assaulted by Marie - fought to have the legislation scrapped.
And last week they scored a major victory when the French Senate voted to abolish the statute of limitation for sexual crimes against children.
The change does not apply to Ms Brinkworth and the other adult campaigners. But she says it's a 'landmark' decision that could lead to further reforms.
'I am absolutely delighted by this landmark vote for justice and common sense,' she told the Daily Mail. 'As a result, future generations will be protected, and perpetrators will no longer be shielded by the outdated statute of limitations which should never be applied to rape and sexual assault.'
She added: 'I and other survivors have been up against an archaic judicial system and culture in France, which has impeded justice. The same does not exist in the UK where there is no statute of limitations for rape and sexual assault.
Lisa Brinkworth, 58, says she was attacked by modelling firm boss Gérald Marie while she was filming an undercover documentary for the BBC's Donal McIntyre Investigates in 1998.
'Had the offence taken place on British soil or by a British national, I and other British victims in this case would have had justice by now.'
Under the previous French laws, there was a 20-year statute of limitations for adults wanting to report to sexual assault or rape to French authorities and a 30-year limitation from the date the crime occurred if they were a minor.
On Wednesday the French Senate approved to abolish the statute of limitations for sexual crimes committed against children, by a vote of 252 to 80.
Ms Brinkworth said the change was 'hugely significant', adding: 'While this vote applies to minors, I and other survivor advocates continue our fight for the statute of limitations to be abolished for adult victims. We will not stop until that is achieved.'
Ms Brinkworth had been filming when she alleges Marie, the former president of the European arm of Elite Models, pinned her down on a chair and attacked her in October 1998.
She had been posing as a model within the agency to expose the treatment of women within the industry.
He was accused by 15 women of sexually assaulting and raping girls as young as 14 because he thought virgins were 'unphotogenic'.
A lawyer for Marie told the BBC in June: 'The allegations made by the complainants have already been the subject of a thorough investigation in France. That investigation was closed without further action.'
After the documentary aired in November 1999, Elite Models sued the BBC alleging misrepresentation. They entered a legally binding agreement with the BBC. Details of the arrangement have never been revealed.
Ms Brinkworth says the legal ruling in France was 'hugely significant' for her fight for justice
Ms Brinkworth later slammed the BBC for refusing to hand over vital evidence in her sexual assault case, which she claimed the footage could have helped her in her case against Marie.
'I was directed at the time by the BBC not to report the assault, which was consequently buried by a legal settlement between the BBC and Elite Model Management,' she said.
'The BBC went to great lengths to keep my assault under wraps and instructed me never to make it public. I finally found the courage to defy the corporation and I reported to the French authorities in September 2020.'
Ms Brinkworth claimed in legal papers submitted in 2022 that Marie wanted her dead over her claims against him and that he had hired the Russian Mafia to murder her.
A French court heard the hitman may have assassinated TV presenter Jill Dando by mistake.
Marie said that the links with the death of TV presenter Ms Dando, who was murdered outside her home in Fulham in 1999, had been 'made up so as to try and get the statute of limitations removed.'
The BBC insists it takes Ms Brinkworth's complaints 'very seriously' and that it was 'not trying to silence' her. It added it has provided material to the French authorities.
A spokesman previously added: 'As we've always made clear, we take these matters very seriously and we know the situation is distressing for Lisa Brinkworth. The BBC is not trying to silence Ms Brinkworth; she is free to speak about the BBC investigation and her experiences, and has done so.
'We have already provided material to the French authorities to help Ms Brinkworth pursue the matter and investigators have assured us they have what they currently need from the BBC. We have also provided material to Ms Brinkworth directly. We will continue to do whatever we can to assist with the process.'
Ms Brinkworth co-founded the survivors' group, Victorious Angels, with Ebba P Karlsson in 2020. It advocates for law reform while fighting for justice in the French courts.
Source link
