Actor Gerard Depardieu will not appear in court on sexual assault charges

French actor Gerard Depardieu, who is on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting two women on a movie set in 2021, will not appear in a criminal court in Paris for health reasons, his lawyer said.

Depardieu, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, is accused of using “violence, coercion, surprise or threats” in the alleged attack, which prosecutors say took place on the set of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).

Lawyer Jeremie Assous said doctors told him the actor’s health problems would not allow him to attend the opening of the trial on Monday.

Speaking to France Info radio, Mr Assous said Depardieu was “deeply affected and unfortunately his doctors did not allow him to attend the hearing”.

The lawyer said that he would ask the court to postpone the hearing because his client “wants to come and express himself.”

In both cases, victims reported that the 75-year-old actor pinned them between their legs and groped their buttocks, genitals, breasts and breasts through their clothing, prosecutors said.

The hearing comes as France continues to reckon with sexual violence in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which has struggled to gain traction, particularly in the film industry.

One of the victims was identified as a 53-year-old production designer. The Associated Press (AP) generally does not identify victims of sexual assault without their consent. His lawyer did not respond to AP’s email about this matter.

According to Paris prosecutors, the woman told investigators that she first heard sexual remarks from Depardieu and that one day, as she was walking by, Depardieu “grabbed her, pulled her towards him, blocked her with his legs and touched her waist.” , her hips and chest accompany her movements with obscene words.”

Prosecutors said three people witnessed the incident, confirming that the woman tried to break free from Depardieu’s grasp and appeared “shocked.”

A psychiatrist’s examination gave him seven days’ leave.

It was arranged for Depardieu to apologize following the incident. But he said in a TV interview broadcast on Saturday that the actor was furious and blamed himself for causing trouble. Prosecutors said witnesses confirmed that what Depardieu said did not constitute an apology.

The production designer, who spoke on camera but only gave his name, said in an interview with French online news site Mediapart that the alleged attack damaged his personal and professional life for at least a year and a half. . He said he couldn’t sleep well, had anxiety attacks and lost weight.

The woman said it took her a while to file a complaint, but she decided to do so after hearing on television that no incidents occurred during the shooting, according to prosecutors.

Paris prosecutors said a month before the alleged attack, another woman who worked on the film set also filed a complaint against Depardieu.

A director’s assistant told investigators that Depardieu touched her buttocks several times. He had expressed his disapproval and said Depardieu insulted him in return.

He was also given six days leave by a psychiatrist.

Depardieu’s lawyer, Jeremie Assous, said in an email to the AP on Saturday that “the evidence that witnesses and evidence will present (Depardieu) will show that he was the target of false accusations.”

It is not clear when the court will decide.

Despite the allegations against Depardieu, many people supported him, including French President Emmanuel Macron.

Late last year, 56 French artists, writers and producers published an article defending the film star, saying: “When Gérard Depardieu is targeted in this way, it is (the art of cinema) that is attacked.”

Their calls come just weeks after national broadcaster France 2 aired a documentary outlining sexual harassment accusations against Depardieu by 16 women and showing the actor making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea.

In the footage, Depardieu is seen making moaning sounds and using sexual expressions in front of women, including a 10-year-old girl riding a horse. She can also be seen posing for a photo while saying that the North Korean interpreter next to her was “touching her bottom.”

He was charged with rape and sexual assault in 2021 after authorities reopened an investigation that was canceled in 2018 following allegations by actor Charlotte Arnould.

“I have never, ever harassed a woman,” Depardieu said last year in an open letter published in the conservative-leaning newspaper Le Figaro.