Accuser tells court actor Gérard Depardieu groped her bottom, breasts on film set
This week’s trial is the primary time one of many greater than 20 accusations of sexual misconduct towards Gérard Depardieu has reached court docket.
A girl accusing French actor Gérard Depardieu of sexual assault has instructed a court docket in Paris that he groped her buttocks and breasts a number of occasions on a movie set.
Three different accusers mentioned on the trial they’d suffered comparable gestures in separate incidents.
Depardieu is alleged to have assaulted a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant throughout filming in 2021 of “Les Volets Verts” (The Inexperienced Shutters).
He denies all of the claims.
The third day of the trial targeted on the testimony of the youthful plaintiff, who detailed three separate incidents.
She mentioned Depardieu first groped her backside when she was alone with him for a short second as they had been heading in direction of the movie set.
“Out of the blue, he put his hand on my butt,” she mentioned, including she mentioned nothing as a result of she was “beneath shock” and “petrified.”
In a second incident, she mentioned Depardieu all of the sudden put each his arms on her breasts.
“I mentioned ‘No.’ I used to be scared.” She additionally described telling Depardieu “no” throughout a 3rd comparable incident.
The girl mentioned she reported the difficulty to her direct supervisor, who then alerted others in command of the movie manufacturing, prompting anger from the actor.
She mentioned she then “minimised” the difficulty as a result of she wished to proceed to do her job, including she geared toward “dealing with it on her personal, be sturdy.”
She later determined to file a proper grievance out of solidarity with the opposite plaintiff and since, she mentioned, “I need individuals to listen to the reality.”
Depardieu repeatedly denied the allegations in court docket on Wednesday, saying, “I am not like that.”
“I believe that perhaps, I do not know, she was cautious due to my status of being vulgar, crude, impolite,” Depardieu mentioned. “However I am not solely that. I nonetheless respect individuals.”
The actor additionally instructed the court docket that he’s virtually at all times accompanied by aides on the movie set, together with his physique guard, and prompt that he would not often discover himself alone with a movie employee.
This week’s trial is the primary time one of many greater than 20 accusations of misconduct towards Depardieu has reached court docket.
Some circumstances had been dropped due to a scarcity of proof or the statute of limitations.
However some figures within the French cinema world have expressed their assist for Depardieu.
French actor Fanny Ardant, who described herself as a long-time good friend of the actor, agreed his phrases could also be impolite and vulgar, but mentioned she by no means witnessed any gesture she discovered “stunning.”
“What I wish to say on this courtroom is that I do know that the world has modified, that society has modified, that requirements are not the identical,” Ardant mentioned.
“There are issues we have tolerated which can be not tolerable.”
The trial continues on Thursday and the decision is predicted at a later date.
The actor faces as much as 5 years in jail and a wonderful of €75,000 if convicted.
