Gerard Depardieu in court for sex-assault case

Actor Gerard Depardieu appeared in court yesterday to stand trial over alleged sexual assaults on a film set, a case placing one of France's best known movie stars at the heart of the country's broader reckoning over sexual violence.

A towering figure of French cinema, Depardieu has faced a growing number of sexual assault allegations in recent years. The 76-year-old has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and this is the first case for which he would be standing trial.

"He has obviously denied it from the beginning," Depardieu's lawyer, Jeremie Assous, told French radio RMC yesterday.

Assous said the actor would be present at the trial, expected to last up to three days, after the postponement of an initial hearing last October due to Depardieu's ill health.

"Like any person facing trial, he has the right to speak. He will finally speak," Assous said.

Prosecutors allege the assaults against two women - whose full identities have not been revealed - took place during the filming in 2021 of "The Green Shutters."

They accuse Depardieu of groping one of the women on the film set, pulling her towards him and trapping her with his legs before touching her waist, hips and breasts while saying obscene words. Three people witnessed the scene, prosecutors say.

They say the second woman was groped by Depardieu on set and in the street. A lawyer for one of the women has said her client had been scared to come forward against Depardieu.

"There's a fear, because he's a cinema giant," said Carine Durrieu-Diebolt. "It's a struggle between David and Goliath and they are afraid of retaliation as they all work in cinema but at a much lower level than Depardieu."

If found guilty, Depardieu could face a sentence of up to five years in jail and a 75,000 euro (HK$631,837) fine.

Reuters