French players accused of rape to learn their fate

SPOTLIGHT: An Argentine judge will decide on December 10 whether to dismiss the charges against two French international rugby players accused of raping a woman after a match in the South American country, authorities said.

The Friday announcement by judicial authorities in Argentina's Mendoza province, where the alleged attack took place, comes after two days of closed-door hearings by Judge Eleonora Arenas on the matter earlier this week.

"The hearing for the dismissal is on Tuesday, December 10 at 09.00 [12.00 GMT]," provincial justice spokesman Martin Ahumada told AFP.

Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, both aged 21, were held for weeks in Argentina after the alleged July assault.

Both the prosecution and the players' lawyers have argued that the charges should be dismissed.

The complainant's lawyer Natacha Romano has accused the prosecution of bias.

One of the players' lawyers is the brother of Argentina's justice minister.

Auradou and Jegou were arrested two days after winning their first international caps for France against Argentina in Mendoza, about 620 miles (1,000 kilometres) west of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires.

The woman, whom they met in a nightclub on the night of their July 6 match against Argentina, said they assaulted her viciously in the hotel room.

The players were kept in preventive custody for a little over a week and then under house arrest for nearly a month before being allowed to return to France after prosecutors said the case against them had weakened.

Auradou and Jegou deny the charges, saying the sex was consensual.