Not guilty of child rape

French consular official Pascal Mazurier pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of raping his three-year-old daughter -- the case dating back to June 2012 -- when he appeared for a pre-trial hearing in a court in the city of Bangalore, a prosecutor said.
Sessions Court judge Shubha Gowdar formally framed the charges of rape during Mazurier's brief appearance after ruling last month that there was sufficient evidence for him to face trial.
The judge adjourned the case until February 15 when she will fix a date for the trial to start.
Mazurier, 40, was arrested in June 2012 on a complaint filed by his wife and spent four months in jail before being released on bail.