Gerard Depardieu asks to delay the sexual assault trial against him for health reasons

Gerard Depardieu asked for a postponement of his sexual assault trial which will begin in Paris on Monday, citing health reasons.

According to the French news agency AFP, Depardieu’s lawyer, Jeremie Assous, told FranceInfo that the actor is “extremely affected and unfortunately his doctors have prohibited him from being present at the hearing“.

Assous went on to say that Depardieu “will ask for a postponement to a later date in order to attend.” His trial was scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Paris time on Monday.

The sexual assault case against Gerard Depardieu

Depardieu is on trial for two alleged sexual assaults, dating back to the filming of The green blinds (Les volets verts) Jean Becker in the south of France in August and September 2021. He was arrested by police earlier this year, on April 29, and was summoned to appear in criminal court on Monday. Based on the charges, Depardieu, long considered a landmark in French cinematic history who has starred in more than 150 films, including classics such as Cyrano de Bergerac of Jean-Paul Rappeneaurisks five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros.

In a letter sent to the prosecutor on February 23, Amelie K., who worked as a set decorator on The green blindsaccused Depardieu of having sexually assaulted and harassed her on September 10, 2021, during filming. Amelie K said she overheard Depardieu make several rude comments, and alleges that one day, as she passed him sitting in a hallway, he grabbed her, pulled her toward him, blocked her with his legs, and kneaded her at the waist, hips. and chest, while making obscene comments.

She added that two colleagues helped her while Depardieu left the scene accompanied by his bodyguards. After reporting the incident to the production manager, Depardieu was called to apologize to her, but instead he made unfriendly comments about her during the rest of the shoot.

“The plaintiff explained that it took her a while to decide to file a complaint, but she was surprised to hear on television that no incident had ever occurred during filming. “She added that she was not the only one who had been sexually assaulted,” said a spokesperson for the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.

A second woman, Engela W., who worked as Becker’s assistant at The green blindsaccused Depardieu of sexually assaulting her on August 31. He filed a complaint on March 21 of this year and She reported that Depardieu had touched her buttocks in the streetthen he had touched her breasts a few days later at the filming location and had touched her buttocks again on another occasion. After expressing her refusal to be touched, she added that Depardieu had begun to insult her. He reported the incident to his family that same day.

Other accusations against Gerad Depardieu

As part of a separate case, the famous 75-year-old French actor has been charged, since December 16, 2020, over accusations of rape and sexual assault brought by the actress Charlotte Arnold in 2018.

In August, the Paris prosecutor’s office requested in a final indictment that Depardieu be sent to the departmental criminal court to be tried for rape by digital penetration and sexual assault that allegedly occurred on August 7 and 13, 2018. The investigating judge must Now decide the course of the process.

Another complaint of sexual assault filed last year by the actress Helene Darraswho accused Depardieu of groping her and propositioning her during the filming of a film in 2007, has since been dismissed as having statute of limitations.

In April last year, 13 women accused the actor of inappropriate sexual behavior in a report published by French investigative website Médiapart. Depardieu vehemently denied all the accusations and in October wrote a letter to the newspaper Le Figaro in which he stated: “I have never abused a woman.”