Pippa Middleton’s father-in-law David Matthews arrested on charge of raping minor in 1990s
According to Agence France-Presse and British newspaper The Telegraph, the 74-year-old was taken into custody on Tuesday at Paris’ Orly Airport and questioned
David Matthews, the father-in-law of Duchess Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton, was arrested by French police earlier this week and charged with the rape of a minor in the late 1990s, Agence France-Presse and British newspaper The Telegraph reported on Friday.
According to those two outlets, Matthews, 74, was taken into custody on Tuesday at Paris’ Orly Airport and questioned by officers from the Protection of Minors Brigade.
A Parisian judicial official confirmed his arrest to The Telegraph. Matthews was charged with raping a female minor.
The official who spoke to The Telegraph said Matthews’ alleged crimes were committed in 1998 and 1999. The newspaper reported that he “strenuously denied the allegations”.
“The investigations will now continue as a judicial investigation and will be led by an investigating judge,” the official told The Telegraph, adding that he has been released from custody and has not been ordered to remain in France.
The son of a coal miner, Matthews worked his way up from mechanic to racing car driver. After a horrific crash at Britain’s Silverstone track in 1973, he retired and poured his efforts into his car showroom, which he sold in 1991 in favour of property development.