French court finds actor Depardieu guilty of sexual assault

A court in Paris on Tuesday, the 13th of May, found actor Gerard Depardieu guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. He was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence, which is the downfall of a French cinema icon, reports Reuters.
Depardieu has repeatedly denied doing anything wrong and his lawyer said he would appeal the court’s decision in one of the most high-profile #MeToo cases to come before French judges.
The #MeToo protest movement against sexual violence has not had the same resonance in France as in the US, although there are signs that public attitudes towards sexual violence are changing.
Judge Thierry Donard said one of the women had given consistent testimony, while the testimony of Depardieu, who was not present at the verdict, changed over time.
One of the two women, set decorator Amelie K., told the court that the actor groped her whole body, trapping her between his legs, and made sexually explicit comments.
“He touched everything, including my breasts,” she said. “I was scared, he was laughing.”
The presiding judge said that two witnesses corroborated her account. The other woman, Sarah, an assistant director of the film, said that the actor touched her buttocks and breasts three times.
Denying sexual harassment, Depardieu told the court that he did not consider putting his hand on a person’s buttocks to be sexual harassment and that he probably touched women accidentally or to keep his balance, adding that some women were too easily offended.
Amelie K.’s lawyer described the verdict as a “beautiful decision”. After the trial, she told reporters that she was “very moved” and satisfied with the verdict, which she described as “a victory, a big step forward”.
Depardieu has faced an increasing number of sexual assault allegations in recent years, which has focused attention on how women are treated in the film industry. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
His trial has exposed the generational divisions in France over sexism, with some prominent older actresses defending him. For example, Brigitte Bardot, 90, told BFM TV on Monday that “those who have talent and who grope girls are thrown in the gutter”.
At the end of the trial in Paris at the end of March, prosecutor Laurent Guy said: “It is perfectly possible to be a great actor and a great father and still commit a crime.”