French actor Gérard Depardieu, who is facing trial on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021, will not appear before a criminal court in Paris for health reasons, according to AP News.
Depardieu is accused of using “violence, coercion, surprise or threat” in the alleged assault, which prosecutors say took place on the set of Les Volets verts (The Green Shutters). According to his lawyer Jérémie Assous, doctors report that the actor’s health prevents him from appearing at the opening of the trial on Monday.
Assous said he would ask the court for a continuance because his client “wishes to come, wants to express himself.”
Prosecutors claim that in both cases, the victims reported that the 75-year-old actor “trapped them between his legs and groped their buttocks, genitals, chest and breasts over their clothes.” The trial was ordered as France continued its fight against sexual violence.
According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the woman told investigators that she first heard sexual comments from Depardieu. Then, as she walked past him, he “grabbed her, pulled her towards him, blocked her with his legs, and groped her waist, hips and chest, accompanying his gestures with obscene remarks.” Three witnesses confirmed that the woman made an attempt to break free from Depardieu’s grip and that she looked “shocked.”
In an interview with French media, the production designer, who gave only her first name, said the alleged assault had negatively affected her personal and professional life for at least a year and a half. She was unable to sleep well, suffered from anxiety attacks and lost weight, she claimed.
A month before the alleged assault, another woman who also worked on the film’s set complained about Depardieu, Paris prosecutors reported. The director’s assistant told investigators that the actor had touched her buttocks several times. She expressed her disapproval, and in response Depardieu, she said, insulted her.
Sexual scandals in France
Despite the allegations against Depardieu, many have spoken out in his favour, including French President Emmanuel Macron. Late last year, 56 French artists, writers and producers published an essay in defence of the film star, stating that when “Gérard Depardieu is targeted in this way, it is the art (of cinema) that is being attacked.”
More recently, the country was rocked by the trial of 50 men accused of raping a woman who was previously drugged and rendered unconscious by her husband. Protests were held across the country last weekend in support of the victim, who has become a hero to many victims of sexual assault for insisting her trial be open to the public.
Feminist groups called for a protest outside the courthouse ahead of Monday’s hearing.
