Paris – A Paris Court on Tuesday found actor Gérard Depardieu guilty of sexual aggression in a 2021 set.
The 76 -year -old actor was convicted for gropening a 54 -year -old dressing table during the filming of “Les Volets Varts” (“The green blinds”). The Judges Panel will issue a verdict with respect to another plaintiff and deliver a sentence later on Tuesday.
The case is widely seen as a key test after#methao of how French society and its film industry address accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior that involve prominent figures.
Depardieu has denied accusations.
This is a last -minute news update. The previous AP story continues.
A Paris Court is ready to issue a verdict on Tuesday about accusations that the French actor Gérard Depardieu Sexually assaulted two women who were working on a film with him in 2021.
The actor, 76, is accused of being touched A 54 -year -old set to the 34 -year -old assistant during the filming of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”).
The case is widely seen as a later key #Me too Proof of how French society and its film industry address accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior that involve prominent figures.
The long and historic Depardieu career told the Court that he has made more than 250 films, has made him a giant of the French film. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his performance as a swing and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.
During the four -day trial in March, Depardieu He rejected the accusations, saying that “it is not so.” He acknowledged that he had used a vulgar and sexualized language in the film and that he grabbed the dresser hips During an argument, but denied that his behavior was sexual.
If it is declared guilty for the Judges Panel, it faces up to five years in prison.
Set’s dress described the alleged assault, saying that the actor punctured her between her legs while she squeezed him in a narrow corridor.
She said he grabbed her hips and then began to “feel” behind and “on the front, around.” He passed his hands near his buttocks, hips and pubic area to show what he allegedly experienced. She said she later grabbed her chest.
The woman also testified that Depardieu used an obscene expression to ask her to touch her penis and suggested that she wanted to violate her. She told the Court that the quiet and cooperative attitude of the actor during the trial did not resemble her behavior at work.
The other plaintiff, an assistant, said that the buttocks and their breasts are groped during three separated incidents on the set of the film.
Associated Press does not identify with the name of the people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to be identified. None of the women has done it in this case.
The Public Prosecutor of Paris requested that Depardieu was declared guilty and gave him a suspended prison sentence of 18 months and a fine of 20,000 euros ($ 22,200). The prosecutor denounced the “total denial and failure of the actor to question himself.”
Some figures in the world of French cinema have expressed support to Depardieu. The actors Vincent Pérez and Fanny Ardant were among those who sat next to the courtroom.
Depardieu has been accused Public or in formal complaints of misconduct for more than 20 women, but so far only the case of sexual aggression has proceeded to court. Some other cases were withdrawn due to the lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.
The actor may have to face other legal procedures soon.
In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnort accused him of raping her at home. That case is still active, and in August 2024 the prosecutors requested that it be in trial.
