Accused of rape and sexual assault on a minor under the age of 15, Yannick Agnel will meet Naomé Horter, the complainant, for an initial confrontation.
Former Olympic champion swimmer Yannick Agnel, charged with rape of a minor under the age of 15, has an appointment Friday afternoon in the office of the Mulhouse investigating judge for a confrontation with his accuser, Naomé Horter, according to the young woman’s lawyer, Thomas Wetterer.
Yannick Agnel, now 32, was indicted in December 2021 for “rape and sexual assault of a minor under 15” and placed under judicial supervision after a complaint filed by the daughter of his former coach Lionel Horter. The facts date back to 2016, the young girl was then 13 years old, and the swimmer 24 years old.
After 48 hours in police custody, Yannick Agnel had “acknowledged the materiality of the facts alleged, even if for certain rapes he has a memory problem“, explained in December 2021 the public prosecutor of Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin), Edwige Roux-Morizot. She added that Yannick Agnel “did not feel that there was any constraint» in his relationship with Naomé Horter.
Also read: Agnel case: a second victim was heard in Mulhouse
Yannick Agnel acknowledges the relationship but denies the coercion
However, “the victim was 13 years old and he was 24: the facts constitute rape and sexual assault due to the age difference, because the justice system considers that there is a real moral constraint“, the magistrate then insisted.
The request for a confrontation was made by Yannick Agnel to the investigating judge after the investigation was closed last March. The two protagonists must therefore meet for the first time on Friday afternoon with their respective counsel in the secrecy of the judge’s office at the Mulhouse judicial court. No statement is expected to be made following this confrontation.
Naomé Horter accuses the double Olympic swimming champion of rape and sexual assault while he was training at the Alsatian club under the direction of his father, Lionel Horter.
The swimmer admitted to having an affair with the teenager, but denied any form of coercion. The young girl, who has since turned the page on swimming, claims on the contrary to have been subjected to non-consensual sexual relations.
The prosecution will probably make its final submissions next week to say whether it will request a trial for the swimmer. Yannick Agnel has one of the finest records in French swimming with two Olympic titles in London in 2012 and two world titles the following year.
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