There is intense interest in the trial of Gerard Depardieu in Paris.
Warning: This article contains details of alleged sexual assaults that some readers might find distressing.
Members of the public queued to get access to the criminal court, despite the fact Depardieu‘s lawyer had said that the actor was too ill to attend on Monday.
There wasn’t a free seat in the courtroom as proceedings began.
In the front row, flanked by their lawyers, were the women who allege the French film star sexually assaulted them on the set of a movie in 2021.
To their left, the slick city legal team representing the 75-year-old actor.
Depardieu is accused of two sexual assaults. If found guilty it could carry a sentence of five years in prison and a fine of €75,000 (£62,000).
Both women allege that on separate occasions the actor pinned them between his legs and touched their genitals, buttocks and chest over their clothes, the court heard.
One of them said that while she was a set decorator for the film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters), she heard Depardieu make several sexual comments.
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She alleges that one day as she passed him in a corridor, he had grabbed her, pulled her towards him, pinned her down with his legs, and kneaded her on the waist, hips and chest, accompanying his gestures with obscene comments.
Image: Depardieu’s lawyer Jeremie Assous answers media questions as he arrives at the hearing. Pic: Reuters
The second woman stated that Depardieu had touched her buttocks in the street, then touched her chest a few days later on the set of the shoot, and touched her buttocks again on another occasion.
Depardieu, who has appeared in more than 200 films, is considered an icon of French cinema.
He has been accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen other women and is embroiled in a separate case where he is accused of rape.
In an open letter, he said has never “abused a woman”.
Image: Pic: Reuters
The court decided that his trial would be postponed until March next year because of his health concerns.
Depardieu’s legal team has asked for a six-month delay to the proceedings with a health check in three months after a doctor confirmed he was suffering from issues including high blood pressure and complications from diabetes.
They said his health means he currently cannot sit for long periods of time and the stress would affect his ongoing health issue.
The actor’s legal team also demanded that more time be set aside for the trial so they can call further witnesses.
On several occasions, the presiding judge asked Depardieu’s lawyer not to stray from the topic of the possible postponement.
Lawyers for the women told the panel of judges that the delay should be as short as possible to avoid adding to their trauma.
They also asked for further independent health checks to be conducted.
The actor has been offered support by a group of actors and directors, who said that an attack on Depardieu represented “an attack on art itself”.
The trial is seen as a huge moment for the growing MeToo movement in France, with Depardieu the most high-profile person to be accused.
MeToo, which became well known in America during the Harvey Weinstein rape case, exists to highlight sexual violence against women and to push for more action by authorities.
It has often placed a focus on areas such as filmmaking – industries that have long been dominated by men.
French President Emmanuel Macron has described Depardieu as “the pride of France”, sparking an angry response from campaigners who claimed he was undermining efforts to protect women from violence.
French actress Lea Seydoux, known for her role in the Bond film No Time To Die, described Mr Macron’s words as “crazy” and said “it gives a very bad image of our country”.
Oasis have said they are “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley Stadium concert on Saturday.
Together with their bandmates, Liam and Noel Gallagher have offered their “sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person involved”.
Metropolitan Police said officers on duty at the stadium responded, alongside venue medics and the London Ambulance Service, to reports a person had been injured at around 10.20pm.
The statement continued: “A man – aged in his 40s – was found with injuries consistent with a fall. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.”
According to media reports, the man fell from the stadium’s upper tier.
A concertgoer on social media said they saw the incident and described it as “horrific”.
Image: Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage at their first reunion gig. Pic: AP
Metropolitan Police said: “The stadium was busy, and we believe it is likely a number of people witnessed the incident, or may knowingly or unknowingly have caught it on mobile phone video footage.
“If you have any information that could help us to confirm what happened, please call 101.”
Oasis performed at the venue as planned on Sunday night, delivering the final concert of a five-night run at Wembley.
Addressing fans at the stadium, singer Liam said: “This one’s for all the people who can’t be here tonight, but who are here if you know what I mean, and aren’t they looking lovely. Live Forever.”
Oasis support act Richard Ashcroft paid tribute on Instagram, writing: “I was shocked to hear of the death of one of the audience last night sending my love to the family and friends.”
A spokesperson for Wembley Stadium said: “Our thoughts go out to his family, who have been informed and are being supported by specially trained police officers.”
They will then head to Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States, before returning to Wembley for two more dates in September.
The reunion tour began at the start of July and marks the Gallagher brothers’ first performances together since Oasis split acrimoniously in 2009.
Soulja Boy has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm during a traffic stop.
The rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was a passenger in the car that was stopped in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles early on Sunday morning, the LAPD said.
“A passenger was detained and police arrested DeAndre Cortez Way for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm,” the statement added.
Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is a felony.
The 35-year-old was booked into jail in the LAPD’s Wilshire Division shortly after 6am. It is not clear if he has since been released.
Police did not provide information on what prompted the traffic stop and who else was in the vehicle with Way.
Soulja Boy is yet to publicly comment on the incident.
Soulja Boy is best known for his 2007 hit Crank That, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and landed him a nomination for best rap song at the Grammys.
The rapper was arrested and charged with a felony in 2014 for carrying a loaded gun during a traffic stop in LA.
In April this year, the Chicago hip-hop artist was ordered to pay more than $4m (£3m) in damages to his former assistant after being found liable for sexually assault, as well as physically and emotionally abusing them.
The BBC has responded after it was reported that two Strictly Come Dancing stars have been accused of taking cocaine.
The broadcaster is said to have hired an external law firm to probe the drug-taking allegations, which a source said were “well-known” on the show, The Sun on Sunday reports.
The claims were reportedly made on behalf of celebrity contestant Wynne Evans in a legal submission to the BBC in March.
In response, a BBC spokesperson told Sky News: “We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us. We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns.
“It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.”
Sky News understands that it is not unusual for the BBC to engage an external individual to provide additional expert resource to help deliver a BBC-led investigation. In these cases, they would report to an established BBC team.
Image: PA file pic
The allegations published in The Sun on Sunday include a source saying that one Strictly star had told another about a third celebrity on the show: “Have you seen their pupils… they’re off their face.”
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“The BBC have known about these allegations for some time, and acknowledged receiving them. Now they are taking firm action,” the source reportedly said.
The two individuals accused of drug taking have not been named.
It is the latest crisis to hit the BBC and Strictly.
In July last year, Amanda Abbington accused Strictly dancer Giovanni Pernice of “abusive or threatening behaviour”. The actress, who was paired with Pernice, withdrew from the show in 2023.
In January this year, Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans made “inappropriate and unacceptable” comments at the Strictly Come Dancing live tour launch, for which he later apologised.