Depardieu⁣ Verdict Looms in Sexual Assault Case; ⁤Actor Unlikely too Attend

PARIS (AP) — A verdict is expected imminently in the sexual⁣ assault case against French actor Gérard Depardieu,though it is unlikely​ he will be‍ present for ​the pronouncement. Only ⁢one of the civil parties, identified as amélie, plans to attend the hearing scheduled‌ for 10:00 a.m. Depardieu is reportedly in⁢ Portugal working on a project with director Fanny⁤ Ardant.

Prosecutors ​requested an 18-month ‌suspended ⁤prison sentence for⁤ Depardieu at the end of March, arguing that the alleged assaults by the two women ⁣were “intentional.”

Along with the suspended sentence, the prosecution ‌has ‌requested that ‍Depardieu be mandated to undergo ‍psychological treatment, be declared ineligible for certain honors for two years, and be registered on ⁣a list of⁣ individuals convicted of sexual offenses.

The complainants, a decorator⁣ and⁢ an assistant director who worked‍ on the film “Green Shutters” directed by ​Jean Becker, allege that Depardieu sexually assaulted them on set ​in 2021.

Amélie,⁤ 54, testified in court⁢ that she had been discussing the film’s set design with Depardieu, specifically the search for appropriate parasols for ‌scenes filmed in southern France.

According to⁢ Amélie, the conversation took a⁤ turn when Depardieu, who was seated, allegedly told her ⁢to “close your legs” before grabbing ‌her ⁣hips. “He gets stuck to ⁤me, he has a lot of strength and he mixed,” Amélie stated, recalling “her⁤ big face,” “her red eyes, vrey excited,” and the⁢ actor’s alleged words: “Come and touch ‌my big parasol, I’m ​going to ‍put it in my pussy!”

Depardieu Denies Allegations

“I dispute the ⁣facts!” Depardieu stated firmly during the trial. “There are vices that I don’t know,” the 76-year-old actor exclaimed. He was supported in the courtroom by his daughter Roxane, his former partner Karine Silla, and actor Vincent Perez.

“I do not see why I‍ would have fun clipping a woman, buttocks, breasts, I am not a cheat in the metro,” he ‍added,​ denying‌ the accusations.

depardieu also denied assaulting the second complainant, an assistant on the film. “I may have ​come close to it with my back in the corridor,but I did not touch ​it,” Depardieu insisted.

Sarah (a pseudonym), now 34, testified that she⁢ was accompanying the actor on set when‌ “it was dark and at the end of the ‍street, he got his hands on my⁢ buttock, he put it quietly,” ⁤she⁢ demonstrated​ in court, a few meters ⁢from Depardieu.

The young woman recounted two additional alleged assaults.

Before the⁢ court, depardieu spoke of his love of women⁢ and his respect for “femininity,” but​ not for “women ‍who are in hysteria.”

Fanny Ardant, a longtime friend of depardieu, testified in his defense. “I have never attended a gesture that I would have found shocking,” she stated, ‍adding before leaving the courtroom: “I know we can say no to Gérard.”

Defense ​Accused of​ “Apology of Sexism”

The trial, which garnered significant national and international media attention, saw lawyers for the civil parties denounce what they described as an omnipresent tension and aggressive tactics from‌ Depardieu’s defense team.

“Liars,” “venal,” “hysterical,” defense lawyer Jérémie Assous reportedly said, referring to Amélie and‍ Sarah.

“We attended not a defense strategy,” but “to the apology of sexism,” Me ‍Claude Vincent,Sarah’s lawyer,stated in‍ his closing argument.

Taking a stance against⁣ the #MeToo movement, Depardieu’s defense sought to portray the actor as the victim of ⁢a‍ feminist witch ⁤hunt aimed at “bringing down a sacred monster.”

In recent years,‍ Depardieu has been accused of sexual assault by approximately⁣ twenty women, though several cases have been dismissed due to statutes of ‍limitations.

French actress Charlotte Arnould, ‍who was‍ present in the courtroom⁣ during the ⁤trial, filed a rape complaint against Depardieu in 2018. The Paris prosecutor’s office has requested that the actor ‌stand trial ⁢in that case.