Depardieu is placed on the intercourse offenders listing and receives a suspended sentence for groping the ladies on a movie set.
A French court docket has handed down an 18-month suspended sentence to actor Gerard Depardieu after discovering him responsible of sexually assaulting two ladies on a movie set in 2021.
The Paris court docket introduced on Tuesday morning that Depardieu, the 76-year-old who didn’t attend court docket for the decision, could be positioned on the intercourse offenders listing.
In one of many nation’s highest-profile Me Too circumstances, Depardieu, a distinguished determine of French cinema who has acted in additional than 200 movies and tv collection, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The trial pertains to costs of sexual assault throughout the filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Inexperienced Shutters) directed by Jean Becker.
One of many two plaintiffs, Amelie Ok, a 54-year-old set decorator, informed the court docket that Depardieu had groped her as he trapped her between his legs and made express sexual feedback.
“He touched every part, together with my breasts,” she mentioned, including: “I used to be terrified, he was laughing.”
The second witness, a 34-year-old assistant director who was unnamed, mentioned Depardieu initially assaulted her when she accompanied him from his dressing room to the set.
“It was nighttime … he put his hand on my buttocks,” she mentioned, including that the actor assaulted her on two different events.
Choose Thierry Donard mentioned the actor’s clarification of the occasions had been unconvincing.
“I’m vulgar, impolite, foul-mouthed, I’ll settle for that,” Depardieu informed the court docket, however added: “I don’t contact.”
“I am keen on ladies and femininity,” he additionally mentioned, describing the Me Too motion as a “reign of terror”.
Depardieu additionally argued earlier than the court docket that he didn’t take into account putting a hand on an individual’s backside to be sexual assault and that some ladies have been too simply shocked.
Amelie Ok’s lawyer described Tuesday’s ruling as a “lovely resolution” that gave recognition to Depardieu’s victims.
After the sentencing, Depardieu’s lawyer mentioned they might enchantment the court docket resolution.
In recent times, the French actor has confronted a rising variety of sexual assault allegations, with about 20 ladies coming ahead with accusations, however this case was the primary to go to court docket.
The Me Too motion got here to prominence in 2017 for folks to share their experiences of sexual abuse and sexual harassment by influential figures.
