French rape trial involving Irish rugby players adjourned

A rape trial involving two Irish rugby players in the French city of Bordeaux has been adjourned until December.

Lawyers for 30-year-old Denis Coulson, who formerly played for French club FC Grenoble, asked the judge for the adjournment, citing his hospitalisation in the wake of a recent car crash.

His lawyers told the court that he had been seriously injured and was unable to speak with his legal team.

The judge advised that the case will resume on 2 December, for what is expected to be a two-week trial.

Mr Coulson is one of three rugby players accused of gang-raping a female student in 2017 following a rugby match in Bordeaux.

New Zealander Rory Grice, 34, and Frenchman Loick Jamme, 29, are also accused of raping the plaintiff, a woman who is now 27.

Named only as V, she has opted for anonymity to protect her personal and professional lives, according to her lawyers.

A conviction for gang rape can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison in France.

Two fellow players, Irishman Chris Farrell, 31, a member of Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning 2018 Six Nations squad, and New Zealander Dylan Hayes, 30, are being tried for failing to prevent a crime.

The trial is expected to turn on whether the young woman was too intoxicated to consent to sex in an encounter on 11 March, 2017, after the Grenoble team played a Top 14 championship match.