Irish duo among five defendants as French rape trial begins

Irish rugby player Denis Coulson waits before his trial at the Bordeaux courthouse, in Bordeaux south-western France, on December 2, 2024.  (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Five rugby players formerly with French side Grenoble went on trial on Monday, accused of raping a student in a hotel in 2017, or failing to prevent the alleged sexual assault.

The trial, held in the southwestern French city of Bordeaux, had originally been scheduled for June but was delayed after one of the defendants, Irishman Denis Coulson, was badly injured in a traffic accident.