Paris’ public prosecutor requested that French actor Gérard Depardieu be found guilty and given a 18-month suspended prison sentence over accusations by two women of sexual assault.
Paris’ public prosecutor on Thursday requested that French actor Gérard Depardieu be found guilty and given a 18-month suspended prison sentence on the last day of a trial over accusations that he sexually assaulted two women who were working on a film with him.
The actor, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during filming in 2021 of the movie “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”). He denied the accusations.
“You’re going to declare Gérard Depardieu guilty of these sexual assaults,” the prosecutor told the court. He also requested a fine of $21,580.
The prosecutor denounced Depardieu’s “total denial and failure to question himself.” The actor showed no apparent reaction.
The maximum sentence for the charges is up to five years in prison and a fine of $81,000 if convicted. The verdict, decided by a panel of judges, is expected at a later date.
Depardieu’s long and storied career has turned the four-day trial into a post- #MeToo test of the willingness of France and its movie industry to confront sexual violence and hold influential men accountable.Alleged misconduct for decades
Earlier on Thursday, the plaintiffs’ lawyers called Depardieu a sexual predator and a “misogynist” in their final plea.
