DOMINIQUE STRAUSS-KAHN slept with three women on a ‘sex binge’ in New York on the weekend that ended in him being arrested and charged with attempted rape, it is reported today.

The former head of the International Monetary Fund is facing charges of the attempted rape of a hotel chambermaid in Manhattan back in May but the case has taken a twist in recent weeks amid revelations about the credibility of his accuser.

He is due in court on the 1 August but it is speculated that his criminal trial is close to collapse. He was released from house arrest at the beginning of the month but cannot leave the US.

Now the Sunday Times (subscription required) that the former favourite to be the next president of France had told his wife Anne Sinclair, who has remained loyal to him throughout the scandal, that he “had” three women during that weekend in New York as he let off steam ahead of an anticipated election run.

A friend of Sinclair told Le Point magazine: “So it wasn’t just one for the road before the presidential campaign. It was three.”

The 64-year-old is understood to have been aware of her husband’s philandering over the years but insisted that he was never violent, telling friends: “Dominique has never been violent with anyone. Even the children, he never smacked them. He’s a seducer, not a rapist.”

The New York Post reports that having checked into the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan on 13 May, DSK – as he is known in France – tried to coax a female receptionist to his hotel room but failed.

Later a security camera catches Strauss-Kahn with, according to the Post, a secret girlfriend who works in banking at around 1.30 am on 14 May. They rode the elevator up to his floor, and the women later left his room at around 3am.

The Sunday Times adds that since the arrest and subsequent charges were brought, Strauss-Kahn has been stuffing himself with sleeping pills as his wife has taken charge of matters, trying to keep family spirits up.

Read more on the Strauss-Kahn case >