French court confirms that rape charges against film director Luc Besson have been dropped

The Paris court of appeal on Tuesday confirmed the dropping of rape accusations against French film director Luc Besson, one of the highest profile controversies of the #MeToo era in the country.

Dutch-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy had accused Besson - director of the "Fifth Element" and "Leon" - of raping her over a two-year on-off relationship, and filed a complaint against him in May 2018.

Prosecutors dropped the case in February 2019 citing lack of evidence, but a new investigation was opened later that year after Van Roy brought fresh charges.

A French magistrate then closed the case in December 2021 and prosecutors asked for it to be dropped in April.

Besson had always denied the accusations, describing the case in 2019 as "a lie from A to Z".

"The court confirmed my client's innocence [...] Luc Besson regrets these four lost years," his lawyer Thierry Marembert said after the verdict.

But Van Roy's lawyer Antoine Gitton said an appeal would immediately be filed for his client with France's Court of Cassation.

Besson has admitted having a relationship with Van Roy, who had minor roles in his films "Taxi 5" and "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets".

She filed the initial complaint for rape in May 2018 hours after meeting Besson, before filing another complaint two months later for other alleged rapes and sexual assaults.

At least three other women have made allegations of sexual harassment against Besson but he has always denied all the allegations.