A man who allegedly raped victims during BDSM sessions inspired by the 50 Shades of Gray films will stand trial for two weeks in France starting today.
Ange Bauda, 31 years old, born in Mauritius, will appear before the Vosges Criminal Court, in Épinal, accused of rape, aggravated sexual touching and violence against three women, accusations that he denies, alleging that his Alleged victims are jealous.
Prosecutors say Bauda considered himself a real-life Christian Grey: the mysterious billionaire businessman and BDSM enthusiast of the 50 Shades of Gray books, which were adapted into a series of films starting in 2015.
In the novels, Gray invites protagonist Ana Steele into his BDSM ‘playroom’ and eventually introduces her to the world of sexual domination and submission.
Bauda is said to have been inspired by the films, but according to his accusers, his actions were much more sinister than Gray’s, and in one case he allegedly hit a woman with a riding crop while she was being placed on a ‘spreader bar’.
Prosecutors say Bauda considered himself a real-life Christian Grey: the mysterious billionaire businessman and BDSM enthusiast from the 50 Shades of Gray books, which were adapted into a series of films starting in 2015 (pictured).
In the novels, by EL James, Gray invites the protagonist Ana Steele to his BDSM ‘playroom’ and eventually introduces her to the world of sexual domination and submission.
According to reports in France, Bauda was arrested in May 2019 after he himself filed a complaint about one of the numerous women with whom he had sexual relations.
At the time, he told investigators that he had been practicing domination for about two years, using equipment such as sex toys, handcuffs, masks, whips, ropes and straps, all of which were found during a search of his home.
According to the dating sites Bauda used to find women, he worked in an electrical hardware store in Epinal, sometimes presenting himself as assistant manager, commercial director or building administrator.
In their dating profiles, a French newspaper reports it. Le Parisian having boasted: ‘I spank, no one resists me.’
Investigators tracked women who crossed paths with Bauda, who according to Le Parisien saw himself as a “handsome boy” and a “sexual beast,” between 2015 and 2019.
In total, police interviewed 43 women who had relationships with Bauda, which ranged from a single night to several years, according to the publication.
Many described him as a “seducer”, “manipulative”, “liar” and “stalker”, and as someone who did not hesitate to blackmail women with a sex tape if they dared to reject him or break up their relationship.
For seven of the women, their erotic encounters with Bauda became a nightmare, whether during a single night or during a longer relationship.
One said she had to take “25 showers” after being raped by the man.
Another recalled a humiliating and violent encounter at a highway rest stop.
However, only three accusers have become plaintiffs in a civil suit against Bauda, including a former partner who reported violence during their relationship.
During the trial, lawyers for the alleged victims will work to demonstrate that Bauda does not know how to distinguish between sexual play and lack of consent.
Le Parisien reports that Bauda justifies his actions by calling them “games” agreed upon between him and the complainants.
However, lawyers are expected to argue that he did not care about his partners’ consent and wanted to “punish” them.
Even when they did not sign a “submission contract” with him, as was the case with some of the women investigators spoke to, she was alleged to have abused him.
Dakota Johnson (left) and Jamie Dornan star in 50 Shades of Grey, released in 2015
They say he set the rules for their encounters and didn’t pay attention to the safeguards typically implemented by consenting adults engaging in BDSM.
In one case, he is accused of telling an alleged victim: ‘You can shove the code red up your ass, because I will do whatever I want to you’ while she was held up by a ‘spreader bar’ while he punched her. with a riding crop, reports Le Parisien.
Police and prosecutors are believed to have 2,182 videos and 40,000 messages found on Bauda’s mobile phone to use during the trial.
Since being remanded in custody at the Nancy-Maxéville prison, he has consistently denied any wrongdoing.