French actor Gérard Depardieu is set to stand trial following allegations of rape and sexual assault stemming from incidents in 2018. The accuser, actress Charlotte Arnould, expressed relief at the decision to take the case to court, nearly seven years after she initially filed her complaint. Depardieu, now 76, has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that his interactions with Arnould were consensual.
In a related case from four years earlier, Depardieu was found guilty of sexually assaulting two members of a film production crew and was placed on a sex offender registry, although he did not receive jail time. He contested those accusations as well. Arnould described her experience over the past seven years as “horror and hell,” and shared her thoughts on social media about the relief she feels with the upcoming court proceedings.
Arnould’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, has confirmed that Depardieu faces charges of assault and rape by digital penetration occurring on two occasions at his Paris residence in August 2018. The lawyer stated that both she and Arnould are hopeful and confident as they seek judicial acknowledgment of the allegations.
The specific date for the trial has yet to be determined. In a letter to Le Figaro published in 2023, Depardieu reiterated his innocence, denying any form of abuse and claiming there was mutual consent in his interactions with Arnould. Initially dismissed due to a lack of evidence, the case was reopened in the summer of 2020 after Arnould pursued civil action, leading to a judicial investigation.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2v2w8m88no?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss