Coline Berry testifies on April 29 in Richard Berry inquiry
Coline Berry testified on April 29 before the commission of inquiry on the judicial handling of incestuous parental sexual violence about the violence she says she suffered from richard berry. Her complaint against the actor, filed in January 2021, was dismissed because the facts were time-barred. The hearing brought her case back into a public procedure focused on how incest complaints are handled by the justice system.
April 29 Commission Hearing
Berry told the commission she hoped it would end what she called “cette inadmissible impunité”. She also said, “Venir ici, c’est accepter de rouvrir des souvenirs qui ne sont pas seulement des souvenirs, mais des traumas” and added, “C’est profondément douloureux, mais c’est nécessaire (...) pour que vous en preniez la mesure, pour que quelque chose change.”
Her testimony centered on the years 1984 and 1985, when she said the abuse took place. She accused Richard Berry in her January 2021 complaint of rape, sexual assault against a minor under 15 by a person in a position of authority, and corruption of a minor. The case was quickly dismissed because the facts were time-barred.
Richard Berry Complaint
Berry said, “Je suis née dans la violence. Avant même ma naissance” and described repeated abuse in stark terms: “Les jeux de l’orchestre n’étaient pas des jeux. C’étaient des viols répétés. Le sexe de mon père dans ma bouche en guise de trompette ou de flûte.” She said, “Je garde encore aujourd’hui le souvenir de l’odeur, des sensations, des images, des traces qui restent et qui ne s’effacent pas.”
She also said she was the mother of three children and explained that she stopped eating at age 10 so her father would leave her with her mother. “C’est ma seule façon de me protéger (...) Tout pourvu que ça s’arrête,” she said.
Incest Inquiry
The commission is examining the judicial handling of incestuous parental sexual violence, and Berry used her appearance to press for changes in that process. She said, “Un homme violent ne peut pas être un bon père,” and described the silence around violence in her childhood: “Le silence sur les violences était la règle: on ne nommait pas, on ne dénonçait pas la figure paternelle, parler c’est se mettre en danger.”
Her testimony placed a dismissed complaint at the center of a parliamentary inquiry, with the prescription rule determining that her case did not move forward. The hearing turned the focus back to how a complaint can end before a judge examines the substance of the allegations, which is exactly the problem Berry asked the commission to confront.
