A Paris court on Tuesday, May 13, found French actor Gérard Depardieu guilty of having sexually assaulted two women on a 2021 film set, giving him an 18-month suspended prison sentence. The actor, 76, was convicted of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of Les Volets Verts.
In March, lead prosecutor Laurent Guy had requested an 18-month suspended jail sentence for the actor, arguing that the assaults reported by the two women were "intentional." He said Depardieu should also be ordered to undergo psychological treatment, and be added to France's sex offender registry.
Throughout the trial, lawyers for the two plaintiffs complained of the tension in the courtroom and denounced the approach of Depardieu's defense team. The actor's lawyer, Jérémie Assous, called the two women "liars" and "hysterical." They were working for the cause of "rabid feminism", he argued.
Depardieu has also been indicted in another case following a rape complaint filed by actor Charlotte Arnould, 29. Prosecutors have requested a trial.