The sexual assault trial of French cinema legend Gerard Depardieu begins without him

PARIS – The trial of French actor Gerard Depardieu on sexual assault charges began on October 28 in the absence of the celebrity, who announced that he was ill.

His lawyer, Jeremie Assous, previously said that Depardieu, 75, was “very affected” by his poor health and that he had asked for the trial to be postponed until he could appear in person.

“Unfortunately, the doctors forbade him to appear here today,” the lawyer said upon arriving at the hearing.

He said he would ask the court to suspend the trial for six months, which comes after numerous other complaints and a second court case is already expected.

The actor is the most famous figure against whom, in the French film version, there are accusations of the #MeToo movement, which was triggered in 2017 by accusations against American producer Harvey Weinstein.

Depardieu is accused of harassment that allegedly occurred during filming of the film in 2021. The names of the two women accusing him have not been made public.

One of the plaintiffs, now a 55-year-old steward, made the announcement in February she experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexist insults during the filming of the film “Les Volet Verts” (The Green Shutters) by director Jean Becker in a private house in Paris.

“I expect that the justice system will be the same for everyone and that Mr. Depardieu will not receive special treatment just because he is an artist,” the plaintiff’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, told AFP.

Assous said Depardieu’s defense will present “witnesses and evidence that will show that he was simply the target of false accusations.”

He accused the plaintiff of trying to “make money” by demanding €30,000 (S$42,000) in damages.

The plaintiff told French investigative website Mediapart that Depardieu began loudly calling for a cooling fan during filming because he “couldn’t even turn it on” in the heat.

She claimed the actor bragged that he “could give women orgasms without touching them.”

The plaintiff alleged that an hour later she was “brutally kidnapped” by Depardieu as she was leaving the set.

The actor immobilized her by “tightening his legs” around her, then groped her waist and stomach, up to her breasts, she added.

Depardieu made “indecent comments” during the incident, including: “Come and touch my big umbrella. I’ll stick it in your f**k.

She described how the actor’s bodyguards dragged him away as he shouted, “I’ll see you again, baby.”

“My client expects that the justice system will find Gerard Depardieu a serial perpetrator of sexual assault,” Durrieu-Diebolt said.