Five years in prison
Lawyer expects further accusations against Depardieu
French film star Gérard Depardieu must stand trial for allegations of sexual violence. He is facing five years in prison. The lawyer of two women who have reported Depardieu is expecting further cases to come to light. Depardieu was questioned for ten hours on Monday.
"There are certainly other women who have not yet testified or filed a complaint," lawyer Carine Durrieu-Diebolt told France Info on Tuesday.
Depardieu will have to stand trial for sexual violence for the first time in October. The public prosecutor's office ordered the proceedings following a hearing with the actor at a police station the previous day. The case was initially brought by two women who accused him of sexual assault during filming in 2021 and 2014.
"Turning point"
The 2014 case is now considered time-barred. However, another woman who was involved in the same film in 2021 also filed a lawsuit. If convicted of sexual harassment, Depardieu could face up to five years in prison.
"There is a turning point in the Depardieu affair," said Durrieu-Diebolt . "More than 20 women have spoken out and they are finally being taken seriously," she added. The cases that Depardieu will have to answer for in court in October relate to filming for the movie "Les volets verts" by Jean Becker.
"More than 20 women have spoken out and they are finally being taken seriously
Opfer-Anwältin Anwältin Carine Durrieu-Diebolt
"Brutally grabbed"
One of the plaintiffs, who had worked as a set designer on the set, described in detail in an interview with "Mediapart" what had happened to her.
Depardieu had made numerous offensive remarks, she said. He also "brutally grabbed" her and "groped her waist, stomach and breasts". The actor's bodyguards finally stopped Depardieu.
"We had to listen to his dirty talk from morning to night," actress Anouk Grimberg, who appeared in the film, recently told the AFP news agency. "When producers hire Depardieu, they know he's an aggressor," she added.
"The time of impunity is over"
The second plaintiff worked on the film as an assistant director. She was initially questioned as a witness on Monday and then decided to file a complaint, Marine Turchi, a journalist involved in the case, told France 24 on Tuesday.
"She did it because she thought that the Depardieu case could have an impact on society," said Turchi. It was a message to men who harass women. "The time of impunity is over. Women are speaking out and they are being heard," said Turchi.
Interrogated for ten hours
During the interrogation, which lasted around ten hours, there was also a confrontation between Depardieu and the plaintiffs. The actor denied the women's accusations.
Depardieu has already been accused of sexual violence several times. Since 2020, the judiciary has been investigating the alleged rape of actress Charlotte Arnould.
The actress Hélène Darras had reported him for sexual harassment, but the case was dropped due to the statute of limitations. The journalist Ruth Baza sued Depardieu for rape in Spain in 1995.
Depardieu has so far denied all accusations. "I have never abused a woman," he wrote in an open letter published in October.
Backing from Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron has publicly backed the actor on several occasions and referred to the presumption of innocence. "I am a great admirer of Gérard Depardieu," he said in December. France can be proud of him.
Depardieu is one of France's best-known film stars. He has worked with the country's most important directors and actresses and has appeared in more than 200 films and series. His best-known roles include the eloquent Cyrano de Bergerac and the boar-loving Obelix, for which he was ideally suited due to his physical stature.
His rude and touching manner secured him the favor of his audience for decades. However, this has continued to crumble in recent years and months as more and more women have publicly reproached him.
A documentary film in which Depardieu can be seen making numerous sexist and vulgar remarks on the sidelines of a shoot also caused a stir.
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