French actor Gerard Depardieu to face trial on sexual assault prices – INA NEWS

French movie legend Gerard Depardieu is ready to go on trial in Paris on Monday for accusations of sexually assaulting two girls throughout a movie shoot in 2021.

Depardieu, 76, who has made greater than 200 movies and tv collection, has been accused of improper behaviour by about 20 girls however that is the primary case to come back to trial which is able to start Monday. He has constantly denied any wrongdoing.

Depardieu’s lawyer, Jeremie Assous, mentioned on Friday that the case was primarily based on “false accusations” towards his shopper, including that the film star was anticipated to attend the two-day trial after an preliminary listening to was postponed resulting from his unwell well being.

Prosecutors say the assaults came about throughout the filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Inexperienced Shutters).

They accuse Depardieu of groping one of many girls on the movie set, pulling her in direction of him and trapping her together with his legs earlier than touching her waist, hips and breasts whereas saying obscene phrases. Three individuals witnessed the scene, prosecutors say.

They are saying the second girl was groped by Depardieu on set and on the street. The ladies’s identities haven’t been revealed.

The alleged assaults occurred whereas Depardieu was beneath formal investigation over accusations of raping a younger actress in 2018. A trial has been requested by prosecutors within the case.

Depardieu’s trial could possibly be the very best profile #MeToo case to come back earlier than the courts in France, the place the protest motion over sexual violence has struggled to achieve the identical traction as in the US.

In February, a French court docket discovered movie director Christophe Ruggia responsible of sexually abusing actress Adele Haenel when she was underage.

French director and actress Judith Godreche, who like Haenel has change into a serious voice in France’s #MeToo motion, mentioned these trials confirmed some progress.

“One of many nice issues that’s occurring is that girls who’re speaking towards very highly effective males are principally not thought-about loopy any extra,” she informed the Reuters information company over the cellphone.

Nonetheless, Godreche mentioned it’s nonetheless unusual for males to talk up within the French cinema trade.