A Paris court has sentenced veteran French actor Gérard Depardieu to 18 months in prison, suspended, after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting two women.
The case relates to incidents during the 2021 filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).
The two women worked on the film production.
One victim, a 54-year-old set dresser named Amelie, accused Depardieu of grabbing her.
The second victim, a 34-year-old assistant named Sarah, made further allegations against the actor.
The court also ordered Depardieu to pay each woman €1,000 for “secondary victimisation”.
The ruling will also place Depardieu’s name on France’s national sex offender database.
Depardieu did not attend Tuesday’s hearing.
However, his lawyer confirmed that the defence team would appeal the verdict.
Depardieu denies accusations
Amelie spoke about her allegations during court hearings in March.
She said Depardieu grabbed her hips during an argument on the film set.
The actor denied the accusation.
However, he admitted that he used vulgar and sexualised language during the 2021 incident.
Depardieu argued that his actions towards Amelie had no sexual intent.
Meanwhile, Sarah made separate allegations against the actor.
She told the court that Depardieu touched her buttocks and breasts on three occasions during filming.
Depardieu denied those allegations as well.
He described the contact as accidental and linked it to the filming process.
Depardieu also spoke about the pressure surrounding the case.
“My name has been dragged through the mud by lies and insults. A trial can be a very special experience for an actor. Seeing all this anger, the police, the press. It’s like being in a science fiction film, except it’s not science fiction. It’s life,” the actor was quoted as saying by the BBC after the hearing.
Depardieu again denied the claims of the film assistant, claiming that his actions were all an accident during the filming.
“My name has been dragged through the mud by lies and insults. A trial can be a very special experience for an actor. Seeing all this anger, the police, the press. It’s like being in a science fiction film, except it’s not science fiction. It’s life,” the actor was quoted as saying by BBC after the court hearing.
Verdict a ‘major step forward’
The set designer told reporters that she was satisfied with the court verdict and stressed that the decision was a “major step forward.”
The victims’ lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, also hailed the decision, calling it a victory for women.
“It is a victory of two women, but it is the victory of all the women beyond this trial. Today, we hope to see the end of impunity for an artist in the world of cinema,” Durrieu-Diebolt told reporters after the ruling.
“I think that with this decision, we can no longer say that he is not a sexual abuser. And today, as the Cannes Film Festival opens, I’d like the film world to spare a thought for Gerard Depardieu’s victims,” she was quoted as saying by the British Press Association.
Trouble not over
Even though Depardieu received the support of actors Vincent Perez, Fanny Ardant, and other figures of French cinema during the entire trial, his legal troubles are not yet over since he is expected to face more court hearings in the following months.
Actor Charlotte Arnould also filed a rape case against the veteran actor. The 29-year-old actress claimed that Depardieu assaulted her on August 7 and 13, 2018.
Arnould’s case against Depardieu is still ongoing, and prosecutors have already ordered a trial for the matter.
Aside from her case, more than 20 women also filed complaints against the actor for similar sexual assaults over the past few years. However, the majority of the cases were dropped due to lack of evidence.
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