A court in Paris handed French film star Gerard Depardieu an 18-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday after he was convicted of sexual assault against two women.
Depardieu had denied wrongdoing.
He was accused of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. A towering figure of French cinema, Depardieu repeatedly denied any wrongdoing during the trial and his lawyer pleaded for charges against him to be dismissed.
The #MeToo protest movement against sexual violence has struggled to gain the same traction in France as in the US, though there are signs that social attitudes towards sexual assault may be changing.
One of the two plaintiffs, Amelie K, a set decorator, told the court the actor had groped her all over her body as he trapped her between his legs and made explicit sexual comments.
“He touched everything, including my breasts,” she told the court.
“I was terrified, he was laughing.”
The second plaintiff said she was groped by Depardieu on set and in the street.
The alleged assaults occurred during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021 while Depardieu was under formal investigation over accusations of raping a young actress in 2018. Prosecutors have requested that case also go to trial.
Reuters
French court hands Gerard Depardieu 18-month suspended jail sentence
Image: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo
A court in Paris handed French film star Gerard Depardieu an 18-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday after he was convicted of sexual assault against two women.
Depardieu had denied wrongdoing.
He was accused of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. A towering figure of French cinema, Depardieu repeatedly denied any wrongdoing during the trial and his lawyer pleaded for charges against him to be dismissed.
The #MeToo protest movement against sexual violence has struggled to gain the same traction in France as in the US, though there are signs that social attitudes towards sexual assault may be changing.
One of the two plaintiffs, Amelie K, a set decorator, told the court the actor had groped her all over her body as he trapped her between his legs and made explicit sexual comments.
“He touched everything, including my breasts,” she told the court.
“I was terrified, he was laughing.”
The second plaintiff said she was groped by Depardieu on set and in the street.
The alleged assaults occurred during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021 while Depardieu was under formal investigation over accusations of raping a young actress in 2018. Prosecutors have requested that case also go to trial.
Reuters
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