Depardieu found guilty of sexual assault, gets 18-month suspended sentence

PARIS: French movie star Gerard Depardieu was convicted by a Paris court Tuesday on charges of sexually assaulting two women working on the set of a film in which he was starring in 2021. He received a suspended sentence of 18 months, and his name will be added to the national sex offender registry.The judge also ruled that Depardieu pay damages of 15,000 euros (about $17,000) to one of the two victims and 14,040 euros, including her medical fees, to the other. Depardieu was not in court. His lawyer, Jeremie Assous, said he would appeal. The verdict was welcomed by the victims' lawyers as a landmark win for French women in the post #MeToo world. "For me, it's a victory, truly," said one of the two victims, identified only by her first name, Amelie.

"We are moving forward."Her lawyer, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, said she hoped the ruling would mean the "end of impunity for artists in the film industry." "I've heard some actors recently still supporting Depardieu. Now with this verdict, no one can say Gerard Depardieu is not a sexual predator."The two victims worked on "Les Volets Verts", a 2021 French film starring Depardieu - Amelie, as a set decorator, and the other plaintiff, who has not agreed to be identified publicly, as an assistant director.

The court heard that Depardieu , 76, grabbed Amelie by the waist and pulled her toward him on set while he was sitting down. Then he locked her between his legs and ran his hands over her buttocks, genitals and breasts while muttering obscenities. The assistant director, 34, testified the actor had touched her breasts and buttocks on three occasions on the set.The judge called their version coherent, consistent and supported by other evidence.

Depardieu, 76, denied the assaults in both cases. He said he was not the "vulgar, rude, trashy person who makes fun of people" that he had been portrayed as in the media. But he added he was from a different generation and his flamboyant and unapologetic personality was ill suited for the current era.From the beginning, it was clear the trial was about more than two sexual assaults by one of France's best-known film stars. What happened in the court, instead, was part of a long overdue reckoning about the country's obsession with seduction, the uncritical adulation of artists and stalling in France of the #MeToo movement.

More than 20 women have accused Depardieu of sexual abuse. Among those who have rushed to Depardieu's defence is President Emmanuel Macron, who condemned what he called a "manhunt" against the actor. Depardieu's lawyer became almost as much a subject of debate as his client. He called the plaintiffs liars, saying one had never been a "real victim". The court ruled the women had suffered "secondary victimisation" from Assous' conduct and awarded them 1,000 euros as part of the damages.