Inside Gerard Depardieu sexual assault court hearing – as trial postponed because of health concerns
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.
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.
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.
The actor denies all the allegations.
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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”.
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”.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
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The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.
He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.
Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.
Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.
Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP
Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.
“I wish you well on the next journey.”
The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.
Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP
Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.
He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.
Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.
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He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.
In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
Bruce Springsteen is to release seven albums of mostly unheard material this summer.
The US singer said the songs, written and re-recorded between 1983 and 2018, were being made public after he began completing “everything I had in my vault” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a short video posted on Instagram, Springsteen said the albums were “records that were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed and not released”.
The 83-song collection is being released in a box set called Tracks II: The Lost Albums and goes on sale on 27 June.
Some 74 of the tracks have never been heard before.
Springsteen first teased the release on Wednesday morning with a short social media video accompanied by text which said: “What was lost has been found”.
Tracks II is the follow-up to the star’s first Tracks volume, a four-CD collection of 66 unreleased songs, released in 1998.
Bruce Springsteen at New York’s Carnegie Hall at a tribute to Patti Smith last month. Pic: PA
The New Jersey-born rocker, nicknamed The Boss, last released a studio album in 2022.
Only the Strong Survive was a collection of covers, including songs by Motown and soul artists, such as the Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Frankie Wilson and Jimmy Ruffin.
The late soul legend Sam Moore, who died in January and was a frequent Springsteen collaborator, sang on two of the tracks.
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Springsteen is coming to the UK in May to launch a two-month tour of Europe with his E Street Band.
The shows will include performances at the Co-op Live in Manchester and Liverpool’s Anfield stadium.
The singer-songwriter has sold more than 140 million records since his debut on the music scene in 1973, according to his website.
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