Irish rugby player put under formal investigation for rape in France

Three rugby players in France are under investigation for alleged gang rape.

On Tuesday night, three Grenoble rugby players have been put under formal investigation by a French examining magistrate on suspicion of the gang rape of a 21-year-old woman, according to Reuters. According to the report, the three players who are under investigation are New Zealander Rory Grice, Loick Jammes from France and Ireland's Denis Coulson. Coulson joined Grenoble in 2014 after attending St. Michael's College in Dublin. Prosecutors released a statement outlining that the three players had 'probably taken part as "initiator or accomplice" in the crime'. The woman in question told police on 12 March that she had been drugged and taken to a hotel in Bordeaux, where she was subsequently raped. A lawyer for Coulson last month denied the allegations and described the incident as "a night out between consenting adults". According to the report, being placed under investigation in France is often the first step to a trial but it does not necessarily mean the case will go to court.