French actor Gerard Depardieu has arrived in court in Paris for his trial. He is accused of alleged sexual assault on a film set, a case that puts one of France's most popular film stars at the heart of France's sexual violence justice system.
A towering figure in French cinema, Depardieu has faced a growing number of sexual assault allegations in recent years. Depardieu, 76, has consistently denied any wrongdoing and this is the first case in which he will go on trial.
The trial, expected to last up to three days, was originally scheduled to take place in October but was postponed due to Depardieu's ill health.
Depardieu, with his hand on his lawyer's shoulder, calmly walked past reporters, looking into the cameras without saying a word, before entering the courtroom and talking to several actors present there. His lawyer, Jeremie Assous, told reporters that the charges were false and based on lies. "The truth is on our side," he said.
Prosecutors allege that the attacks on the two women - whose full identities have not been revealed - occurred during filming in 2021.
They accuse Depardieu of groping one of the women on the set of the film, pulling her towards him and grabbing her with his legs before touching her waist, hips and breasts and making lewd remarks. Three people witnessed the scene, prosecutors say. They say the second woman was hugged by Depardieu in the square and on the street.
A lawyer for one of the women told Reuters before the trial that her client had been afraid to come forward against Depardieu. "There is a fear because he is a giant of cinema. It is a fight between David and Goliath and they are afraid of retaliation because they all work in cinema, but at a much lower level than Depardieu," said one of the accusers' lawyers.
If found guilty, Depardieu could face a sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros. (A2 Televizion)
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