Berliner Boersenzeitung - Verdict due in Depardieu sexual assault case

EUR -
AED 4.109552
AFN 78.631197
ALL 98.196471
AMD 432.408837
ANG 2.002394
AOA 1025.990895
ARS 1274.522047
AUD 1.746378
AWG 2.016739
AZN 1.898229
BAM 1.956345
BBD 2.26193
BDT 136.11791
BGN 1.956327
BHD 0.422314
BIF 3333.528425
BMD 1.118857
BND 1.454705
BOB 7.741156
BRL 6.337382
BSD 1.120302
BTN 95.774674
BWP 15.149084
BYN 3.666221
BYR 21929.589638
BZD 2.250327
CAD 1.561672
CDF 3212.237453
CHF 0.934587
CLF 0.027476
CLP 1054.365804
CNY 8.066396
CNH 8.065541
COP 4715.264561
CRC 567.45297
CUC 1.118857
CUP 29.6497
CVE 110.295719
CZK 24.905518
DJF 199.495562
DKK 7.46114
DOP 65.927772
DZD 148.910142
EGP 55.930831
ERN 16.782849
ETB 151.24007
FJD 2.543501
FKP 0.842393
GBP 0.840977
GEL 3.065913
GGP 0.842393
GHS 13.891869
GIP 0.842393
GMD 81.120469
GNF 9701.702033
GTQ 8.601165
GYD 234.385279
HKD 8.743076
HNL 29.149858
HRK 7.535943
HTG 146.590827
HUF 403.026675
IDR 18454.420994
ILS 3.980277
IMP 0.842393
INR 95.662796
IQD 1467.608746
IRR 47117.850798
ISK 145.890702
JEP 0.842393
JMD 178.588143
JOD 0.793606
JPY 162.503291
KES 145.081653
KGS 97.843928
KHR 4483.248635
KMF 493.97951
KPW 1006.971003
KRW 1564.038315
KWD 0.343925
KYD 0.93366
KZT 571.199085
LAK 24228.747979
LBP 100377.756336
LKR 335.213361
LRD 224.052401
LSL 20.223532
LTL 3.303693
LVL 0.676785
LYD 6.180721
MAD 10.393095
MDL 19.515435
MGA 5021.353624
MKD 61.547142
MMK 2349.244173
MNT 3998.537788
MOP 9.017912
MRU 44.340953
MUR 51.590929
MVR 17.297491
MWK 1942.523653
MXN 21.761146
MYR 4.811324
MZN 71.498218
NAD 20.223532
NGN 1798.214592
NIO 41.221481
NOK 11.609956
NPR 153.238309
NZD 1.900865
OMR 0.42963
PAB 1.120312
PEN 4.13035
PGK 4.656255
PHP 62.436696
PKR 315.470042
PLN 4.277812
PYG 8944.491142
QAR 4.083128
RON 5.045598
RSD 117.262659
RUB 90.500131
RWF 1604.232459
SAR 4.196494
SBD 9.331744
SCR 15.927236
SDG 671.87298
SEK 10.899252
SGD 1.452455
SHP 0.879246
SLE 25.388677
SLL 23461.86401
SOS 640.272601
SRD 40.929456
STD 23158.072951
SVC 9.80273
SYP 14547.207646
SZL 20.228453
THB 37.140447
TJS 11.550117
TMT 3.921592
TND 3.37765
TOP 2.620477
TRY 43.481672
TTD 7.599116
TWD 33.809158
TZS 3021.914628
UAH 46.502736
UGX 4099.141657
USD 1.118857
UYU 46.611732
UZS 14525.045389
VES 105.403258
VND 29002.441724
VUV 135.518458
WST 3.108774
XAF 656.133876
XAG 0.034423
XAU 0.000345
XCD 3.023766
XDR 0.81602
XOF 656.139742
XPF 119.331742
YER 273.111241
ZAR 20.200452
ZMK 10071.052264
ZMW 30.113387
ZWL 360.271373
  • CMSC

    -0.0500

    22.05

    -0.23%

  • RELX

    0.5300

    54.57

    +0.97%

  • GSK

    0.4991

    37.64

    +1.33%

  • AZN

    0.8500

    68.81

    +1.24%

  • BP

    0.1300

    29.76

    +0.44%

  • RBGPF

    64.5000

    64.5

    +100%

  • NGG

    1.2500

    71.28

    +1.75%

  • RIO

    -0.1100

    62.64

    -0.18%

  • BTI

    1.2700

    42.64

    +2.98%

  • RYCEF

    0.0200

    10.72

    +0.19%

  • JRI

    0.1600

    12.9

    +1.24%

  • CMSD

    0.0472

    22.06

    +0.21%

  • VOD

    0.1800

    9.45

    +1.9%

  • SCS

    0.0000

    10.5

    0%

  • BCC

    0.9200

    91.91

    +1%

  • BCE

    -0.0700

    21.56

    -0.32%

Verdict due in Depardieu sexual assault case
Verdict due in Depardieu sexual assault case / Photo: JULIEN DE ROSA - AFP

Verdict due in Depardieu sexual assault case

A Paris court is to deliver a verdict Tuesday in the sexual assault trial of French cinema icon Gerard Depardieu, in a case that has further tarnished the reputation of one of France's greatest stars.

Text size:

The actor is facing a possible 18-month suspended prison sentence for the alleged sexual assault of two women on a 2021 movie set -- charges he denied during the closely watched trial.

Depardieu, who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, is the highest-profile figure caught up in France's response to the #MeToo movement.

Around 20 women have accused the actor of assault or inappropriate behaviour, but this is the first case to come to court.

The trial relates to charges of sexual assault during the filming in 2021 of "Les Volets Verts" ("The Green Shutters") by director Jean Becker.

The plaintiffs are a set dresser, 54, identified only as Amelie, and a 34-year-old assistant director, who accuse the actor of sexual assault. Of the two, only Amelie is expected to be present for the verdict.

Depardieu, who is currently filming a movie in Portugal, will also attend, his lawyer Jeremie Assous told broadcaster Franceinfo.

The Paris Criminal Court will deliver its verdict from 10:00 am (0800 GMT).

- 'Lack of remorse' -

In March, lead prosecutor Laurent Guy recommended an 18-month suspended jail term for Depardieu, arguing that the sentence "takes into account the total lack of remorse" shown by the defendant.

He said Depardieu should also be ordered to undergo psychological treatment and be added to France's sex offender registry.

Amelie testified that Depardieu pinned her down in 2021 on set, saying, "he was very strong" and "groped" her.

She also said Depardieu made "obscene remarks" and suggestions, boasting he could "give women an orgasm without touching them".

The 34-year-old plaintiff said Depardieu initially assaulted her when she accompanied him from his dressing room to the set.

"It was nighttime... he put his hand on my buttocks," she said, adding that the actor assaulted her on two other occasions.

Depardieu, 76, has denied sexually assaulting the women.

"I'm vulgar, rude, foul-mouthed, I'll accept that," he told the court, but he added: "I don't touch."

"I adore women and femininity," he also said, while describing the #MeToo movement as a "reign of terror".

Throughout the trial, Depardieu has been supported by his daughter Roxane, his ex-partner Karine Silla and actor Vincent Perez.

And on Monday, he won public backing from French film star Brigitte Bardot.

"Those who have talent and put their hands on a girl's bottom are thrown in the gutter," Bardot said.

"We could at least let them get on with their lives. They can't live anymore."

- 'Sexism and misogyny' -

Lawyers for the two plaintiffs denounced the approach of Depardieu's defence team.

The actor's lawyer Jeremie Assous called the two women "liars" and "hysterical", arguing they were working for the cause of "rabid feminism".

Claude Vincent, the assistant director's lawyer, said: "What we witnessed was not a defence strategy" but "an apology for sexism".

In an open letter, nearly 200 French lawyers urged the judiciary to fight what they called courtroom sexism.

Depardieu's lawyer had "used sexism and misogyny to his heart's delight" to discredit the plaintiffs and their legal team, they said.

Depardieu has also been indicted in another case following a rape complaint filed by actor Charlotte Arnould, 29. Prosecutors have requested a trial.

In April, French MPs criticised "endemic" abuse in the entertainment industry after a six-month inquiry.

Depardieu became a star in France from the 1980s, winning the Best Actor award in 1990 for his performance in "Cyrano de Bergerac".

(H.Schneide--BBZ)