Jean-Claude Arnault faces six years in Swedish prison if found guiltyThe French photographer at the centre of allegations of sexual assault, which contributed to the postponement of this year´s Nobel prize in literature, has been charged with two cases of rape by prosecutors in Stockholm.Jean-Claude Arnault, who is married to a member of the body that awards the prize, faces up to six years in prison if found guilty.`I think the supporting evidence is robust and strong enough to indict him,` prosecutor Christina Voigt said on Tuesday.The plaintiff accuses Arnault, who ran Forum, a literary venue in Stockholm, of raping her in October 2011 and again in December 2011.`In one of the suspected rapes there was violence,` Voigt said. `And in the other she was asleep.`To support the prosecution, police have over the past six months held interviews with the alleged victim, with several witnesses, and with Arnault himself. Arnault denies the allegations.`He is both disturbed and resigned,` his lawyer, Björn Hurtig, told Expressen. `He says this is totally wrong and he is completely innocent of the allegations.`Eighteen women came forward in November in an article in the Dagens Nyheter newspaper to accuse Arnault of sexually harassing or assaulting them. Continue reading...
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