The sentence in the case of actor Gerard Depardieu, accused of sexual assault. What the victims said in court
Gérard Depardieu to trial / photo: Alexis Sciard / Zuma Press / Profimedia
A court in Paris is to be pronounced on Tuesday the verdict in the process for sexual aggression against the French actor Gerard Depardieu, one of the most publicized cases related to the movement against harassment and sexual violence in France, informs Reuters.
Depardieu is accused of sexually assaulted two women on the film set in 2021. The marking figure of French cinema, Depardieu repeatedly denied any reprobate fact during the trial, and his lawyer asked for his customer.
The prosecutor asked the court to sentence Depardieu, 76 years old, to 18 months in prison with suspension and a fine of 20,000 euros ($ 22,250).
The protest movement #metoo against sexual violence has had difficulty gaining the same popularity in France as in the United States, although there are signs that social attitude towards sexual aggression could change.
One of the two plaintiffs, Amelie K, a plateau decorators, told the court that the actor had been pushing her all over her body, while holding her trapped between her legs and making explicit sexual comments.
“He touched me everywhere, including breasts,” she said before the court. “I was terrified, he was laughing.”
The second plaintiff stated that she was pushed by Depardieu on the film set and on the street.
The alleged aggressions took place during the filming for “Les Volets Verts” (green shutters) in 2021, while Depardieu was officially investigated for rape charges in a young actress in 2018. The prosecutors requested that this case be tried.
Depardieu said before the court that he does not believe that he puts his hand on a person's buttocks constitute sexual aggression and that some women are shocked too easily. He denied aggression.
Depardieu has faced in recent years an increasing number of accusations of sexual aggression, which has brought to light how women are treated in the film industry.
His trial revealed a generational division in France on sexism, some prominent age actresses defending him. Brigitte Bardot, 90, told BFM TV on Monday for the television station that “those who have talent and piss a girl are thrown into the channel.”
