French cinema icon Depardieu convicted of sexual assault

French actor Gerard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women - and handed an 18-month suspended sentence.

Depardieu, 76, who has appeared in more than 200 movies, was convicted by a court in Paris of groping the women during the filming of the 2021 film Les Volets Verts.

His lawyer said the star will appeal the verdict.

Both of his victims had been working on the film in behind-the-scenes roles.

They said they were scared to speak out at the time and intimidated by Depardieu. "I was petrified", said one of the women, a set designer named Amelie.

She told the court that Depardieu had trapped her between his legs as she tried to get past him in a corridor, and had then run his hands over her body. "He terrified me - he looked like a madman," she said.

Depardieu had denied the allegations, and had received support from many actors, directors and even at one point, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who had previously described the actor as "the pride of France".

However, his victims said that he attacked them - first using obscene, vulgar and explicit language towards the women before sexually assaulting them.

The court heard that the actor first used vulgar language to abuse them and then grabbed them and ran his hands over their bodies, making crude sexual advances towards them.

Depardieu claimed that he did not even know what sexual assault was.

But judge Thierry Donard said Depardieu's explanation of events had been unconvincing and, at times, contradictory.

Carine Diebolt, the lawyer representing victim Amelie, told the court that Depardieu had specifically targeted women who did not enjoy a high profile, saying he would never treat a famous actor the way he behaved towards his two victims.

"He is strong with the weak, and weak with the strong," she said.

During cross-questioning, Depardieu admitted that he had first denied ever touching Amelie, then said he grasped her hips to stop himself from falling over, and then claimed he had grabbed her to get her attention.

Amelie described his account as "obviously completely false" and said she had been mentally scarred by the encounter.

Away from the court, Ms Diebolt told Sky News that, after years of being tolerated due to his fame, Depardieu was finally being held accountable for his actions.

"These women were put in danger," she said. "This is about a line of offences that he committed over many years that were tolerated by the world of cinema because it was Gerard Depardieu.

"Because the financial benefits he brings to the industry are so substantial. He did make some excellent films, but all men are equal before the law.

"Nobody warned Amelie about Depardieu's behaviour, so his words and actions came as a terrible surprise for her. She still has traumatic flashbacks."

Depardieu's reputation is now in tatters, and there may be more allegations to come.

Diebolt told Sky News that around 20 other women have said that they were attacked by the actor.

And we already know that Depardieu will stand trial again later this year, this time charged with raping the actress Charlotte Arnould.

Ms Arnould has accused Depardieu, a friend of her parents, of raping her at his mansion in Paris.

When she returned to the house to confront him, she alleges that he raped her once again. Depardieu denies both allegations. If he were to be found guilty, he would face a substantial prison sentence.

Depardieu's sexual assault conviction is being seen as an important step forward for France's growing MeToo movement, which he described as "a terror" during the proceedings.

After a letter of support Depardieu received prior to the trial from prominent actors and directors, a separate group of around 600 artists wrote their own, condemning the culture of "impunity" and calling for the actor to be fully investigated.

Emmanuelle Dancourt, president of MeToo Media, told me: "Depardieu is a man with a lot of money around him.

"Everybody could see Depardieu talking badly to women, putting his hand in the wrong place on a woman's body and saying things that are wrong.

"But Gerard Depardieu's best friend is silence. In France, you have a wall of silence, and this means impunity. If you are a man with a lot of power and a lot of money, you can do whatever you want."

Depardieu's popularity has declined as more and more claims emerged about his conduct.

A recent documentary about him featured footage, filmed in North Korea, of the actor making lewd comments as a young girl rode past on a horse.

When Mr Macron offered his support to Depardieu, denouncing what he called "a manhunt" against the star, another French actor, James Bond star Lea Seydoux, said the president's words had given a "bad image" of France.

Depardieu was given Russian citizenship as a gift by Vladimir Putin.

Source: Sky News