Washington DC [US], May 13 : French actor Gerard Depardieu was convicted of sexual assault against two women and has received an 18-month prison sentence from a Paris court on Tuesday, reported Variety.
The verdict stems from sexual assault charges filed by two women, a set decorator and an assistant director, who worked on the shoot of "The Green Shutters" in 2021.
According to the outlet, the prosecutor had requested an 18-month suspended sentence following a four-day trial during which Depardieu refuted all accusations.
Prosecutors also requested the court to fine the actor and obligate him to undergo psychological treatment, as well as have him registered in the sex offenders' file, reported Variety.
As per the outlet, the assistant director reported in her complaint that Depardieu had touched her buttocks in the street, then touched her breasts a few days later on location and touched her buttocks again on another occasion.
However, Depardieu refuted the sexual assault charges and said, "I may have grazed it with my back in the corridor, but I didn't touch (her buttocks)," Depardieu was quoted in Le Monde newspaper, as stated by Variety.
The prosecution, led by Laurent Guy, emphasised that the plaintiffs had maintained their original accounts throughout the trial, while Depardieu's version of events had changed.
The prosecutor pointed to eyewitness testimony that confirmed sexual assault had occurred."We have three eyewitnesses to the gestures made against Amelie at the crucial moment. This undeniably constitutes sexual assault," Guy said, as per Deadline.
As part of a separate case, the famous French actor has been, since Dec. 16, 2020, indicted over allegations of rape and sexual assault filed by actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018.
The actor has denied these allegations as well, according to Deadline.
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