A Paris court sentenced French actor Gerard Depardieu to 18 months’ suspended imprisonment after finding him guilty of sexual assault against two women, Amélie and Sarah, who worked with him on the set of the film Les Yeux de l’ange, French media reported on Tuesday.
Amélie, a production designer, claimed that on September 10, 2021, Depardieu first made rude remarks to her, then “grabbed her violently” and “touched her waist, stomach and breasts” until security guards intervened. The woman filed a complaint with the Paris prosecutor’s office alleging “sexual assault, harassment and sexist insults” by the actor.
Sarah, who was one of the assistants to the director of Les Volets Verts (Green Shutters), claimed that on August 31, 2021, Depardieu twice “touched her breasts and buttocks.”
The actor was absent from the court hearing. In its ruling, the court took into account Depardieu’s age, state of health and the disputed facts, but decided to enter him in the register of sex offenders.
The hearings in this case were scheduled to begin on October 28, 2024, but were postponed to March 24-25 due to the actor’s health. The latter denied all the charges, claiming that “sometimes his behaviour is perceived as boorish because of drunkenness or vulgarity.”
The prosecution requested an 18-month suspended prison sentence for Depardieu, a three-year probation period, a €20,000 fine, compulsory psychological treatment and registration in the register of sex offenders. More than 50 cultural figures spoke out in his defence, including actor Pierre Richard and model Carla Bruni, the former first lady of France. French President Emmanuel Macron said it was unacceptable to strip Depardieu of the Legion of Honour, which he was awarded in 1996 by former President Jacques Chirac. After the allegations were made, the actor himself refused the award.
A total of six lawsuits have been filed against Depardieu for violence and harassment, two of which have been dismissed due to the statute of limitations. La Presse, citing sources, wrote that the actor has also been implicated in a criminal case involving tax evasion and money laundering on a particularly large scale. The investigation also believes that since 2013, he has had a “fictitious residence in Belgium.”
