Christchurch musician Manu Francois charged with historic sexual assault

Manu Francois is married with a young child.

A Christchurch musician has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman.

Manu Francois, 34, appeared in the Christchurch District Court this morning for the first time since his arrest.

Police allege Francois, who lives in the West Melton area, sexually violated a woman over the age of 16 between December 1 and 31, 2013.

He did not seek name suppression when he appeared before a community magistrate this morning, by audio-visual link from the police cells.

The court heard he had applied for legal aid and was seeking bail.

Bail was granted on condition that he surrender his passport and not make any contact with the complainant.

He is due to appear in court again on February 20.

Francois is described online as “a New Zealand rapper, singer-songwriter, music producer, multi-instrumentalist and model”.

He was born in St Lucia and has split his time between the Caribbean island, where his father lives, and Christchurch, where his mother is from.

His first album was released in 2017, followed by albums in 2018 and 2020.

“Francois was nominated for Best International Artist for the BingeTV 2021 Music Awards,” an online profile says. “Francois has run his own recording studio ... He is also a member of the groove roulette band ZoLeKa.”

Manu Francois was set to move to Europe before he was charged.

Five weeks ago he posted on Instagram that he was “moving to England/Europe” to continue his music.

“I create my own brand of pop music, I also play guitar and write ballads,” he said.

“I am a lone wolf but a vibrant entertainer. I dream to play festivals and shows around the world and I am working on this goal in 2024.”

A week ago, he posted a series of photos with his young child and family.

Manu Francois is a Christchurch-based musician.

“We’re about to leave New Zealand for Berlin, where I will be focusing on building my music career and working on my life generally,” he said.

“I might even disappear off social media and focus on just living my life. Remember just living our lives? Miss that.

“2024 for me is a year of growth, dedication, fun, freedom and life in general. I truly look forward to what’s to come.”

Francois is married with a child.

Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz.