Director Luc Besson now facing five more sexual assault allegations

New claims take total number of accusations against 'Valerian' director to nine

French filmmaker Luc Besson is facing more allegations of sexual misconduct. AFP
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A further five people have come forward to accuse the French director Luc Besson of sexual misconduct as the seemingly never-ending Hollywood abuse scandal continues.

The allegations are nothing new for Besson. Back in May, actress Sand Van Roy reported Besson for raping her, claiming he had drugged her in a Paris hotel room and had left her with money when she came round and realised she had been assaulted.

Then, in July, an extensive investigation by French magazine Mediapart claimed Besson had also assaulted a casting director and sexually harassed an employee of his film company, EuropaCorp, as well as another actress he first met in Los Angeles and later allegedly assaulted during a meeting in his Paris office. The women made the allegations spoke to Mediapart on condition of anonymity.

Mediapart is once again the conduit for the latest allegations, from five women, including students of his film school and former employees, who accuse the Lucy and Leon director of inappropriate sexual behaviour. The magazine notes: "If these women denounce facts of a different gravity, their stories overlap on several points. Most describe, at least, the misplaced, similar and repetitive behaviour of Luc Besson towards very young women working, or likely to work with him."

Marine Turchi, a journalist from the magazine further corroborated the story by posting what she claims to be a hand-written note from Besson to a former assistant, Ananda, on Twitter. While not exactly damning, the note certainly takes a strange tone for a boss addressing his assistant — Besson advises the recipient to “take a nice peaceful bath and call room service” and signs off as “Luc” with a love heart.

Ananda claims she underwent "non-consenting sexual relations" on three occasions. A total of nine women have now accused Besson of some form of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

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