Gérard Depardieu Faces Trial for Alleged Rape as Legal Battles Escalate
The Paris Prosecutor's Office has requested that actor Gérard Depardieu be tried for the alleged rape of actress Charlotte Arnould, which reportedly took place in 2018. This request is in addition to an upcoming trial for sexual assaults involving two other women scheduled for this October, as per sources from the prosecutor's office communicated to EFE on Thursday.
The decision on how to proceed now rests with the investigating judge. The prosecutor’s office initially forwarded their request to the courts on August 14, but it was only made public recently through the French television channel BFM.
The 75-year-old French icon is accused of raping Arnould through manual penetration, along with committing sexual assaults against her at his residence in Paris on August 7 and 13, 2018. Notably, Arnould was the first actress to file a complaint against Depardieu, doing so years ahead of a wave of allegations surfacing against him driven largely by the momentum of the French Me Too movement.
At the time of the alleged offense, Arnould was a mere 22 years old when she filed her initial complaint in August 2018 in the Bouches-du-Rhône region. However, this case was eventually handed over to Paris, where the alleged incidents occurred. Following an investigation by the judicial police, the complaint was archived in 2019 as it was deemed insufficiently substantiated.
In pursuit of justice, Arnould filed another civil suit in 2020, prompting a fresh review of her case. Subsequently, the Paris Prosecutor's Office ordered the reopening of the investigation for rape that same year, ultimately leading to Depardieu being charged a few months later.
Renowned for his roles in films such as 'Cyrano de Bergerac', Depardieu was questioned about the allegations in 2021. A confrontation between the involved parties was organized before the investigating judge earlier in 2023. Following the culmination of the investigation on April 16, the Prosecutor's Office formally requested that Depardieu be tried in criminal court concerning the charges brought forth by Arnould.
In addition to the allegations made by Arnould, Depardieu is set to face trial in October for sexual assaults committed against two women during the filming of 'Les volets verts' directed by Jean Becker in 2021. Further complicating his legal landscape, another woman accused him of sexual assaults related to the film 'Le magicien et les siamois' by Jean-Pierre Mocky in 2014. However, this complaint was archived just three months later due to the facts being time-barred. A similar closure was applied to a rape complaint from French actress Hélène Darras concerning events from 2007.
Adding to the controversy, Spanish journalist and writer Ruth Baza has alleged that Depardieu raped her in 1995 during a visit to Paris for an interview, a claim that remains unresolved. Throughout these ongoing legal battles, an array of more than a dozen women have publicly claimed that Depardieu often overstepped boundaries and exhibited inappropriate sexual behavior in professional environments.
Once a symbol of French cinema, Depardieu has maintained his assertion of innocence, framing himself as a victim of media vilification during this tumultuous period. The upcoming trials may serve as a turning point for both the actor and the women who have come forward with their stories.
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