French film star, Gérard Depardieu, found guilty of sexual assault on movie set

French film star, Gérard Depardieu, has been convicted of sexually assaulting two women while working on a film set in 2021. A Paris court handed the 76-year-old star an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

The two women, both part of the production team, said Depardieu groped them during filming. The film actor denied the accusations, and his lawyer confirmed plans to appeal the verdict.

One of the women, Amélie, worked as a set dresser, and the court found her testimony consistent, while Depardieu’s version of events reportedly shifted over time. After the verdict, Amélie told reporters she was “very moved” and described the ruling as “a victory, a major step forward.”

The second woman, referred to as Sarah (not her real name), was an assistant director and also testified that Depardieu had assaulted her. The actor wasn’t present for the verdict—he was reportedly on a film shoot in the Azores.

Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, the lawyer representing both women, said she hoped the outcome would signal the end of impunity in the film industry.

“It’s a victory for two women on a film set but it’s a victory for all the women behind this case and I’m thinking of all of Depardieu’s other victims,” she said.

The ruling came just before the Cannes Film Festival was set to open.

The judge said the women’s testimonies were credible and that the French film star had touched them inappropriately while making sexually explicit remarks. He has been added to France’s sex offender registry and ordered to pay €1,000 in compensation to each woman for what was described as “secondary victimisation”—a term referring to the additional distress caused by the legal process itself.

ALSO READ: Nissan to cut 11,000 more jobs, shut seven factories amid slump in sales

During the trial, Depardieu’s lawyer, Jérémie Assous, accused the women of lying. He had asked for the charges to be dismissed and described the opposing legal team as being more like activists than attorneys.

“They cannot bear that there should even be a defence. They think any defence is a supplementary assault,” he said.

The incidents took place in September 2021 during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters), a movie about an ageing actor grappling with his fading career.

According to BBC, this was the first time Depardieu stood trial for sexual assault, though other women have spoken out with similar allegations in the media.

After the trial, Depardieu joined his longtime friend and fellow actor Fanny Ardant on a film shoot in the Azores.

Prosecutor Laurent Guy reminded the court to focus on the case, not the man’s fame.

“It’s perfectly possible to be an excellent actor and a great father – and still commit a crime. You are not here to pass judgment on French cinema. You are here to judge Gérard Depardieu, just as you would any other citizen,” he said.

Claude Vincent, who represented one of the plaintiffs, called Depardieu a “misogynist” and a “case-study in sexism.”

In court, Amélie described a moment when Depardieu grabbed her by the hips after a minor dispute and trapped her between his legs. The second woman said he touched her breasts and buttocks through her clothes on three separate occasions. She chose to remain anonymous and didn’t attend the verdict.

Depardieu denied the claims, saying if any contact happened, it was unintentional or to steady himself.

After proceedings wrapped up, Depardieu spoke about how the trial had affected him.

“My name has been dragged through the mud by lies and insults. A trial can be a very special experience for an actor. Seeing all this anger, the police, the press. It’s like being in a science fiction film, except it’s not science fiction. It’s life,” he said.

He added that he hadn’t worked as an actor in three years due to the controversy but expressed some curiosity about the legal world: “These lessons may be an inspiration for me one day if I get to play a lawyer.”

(BBC)

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE