PARIS (Reuters) – French actor Gerard Depardieu should face trial in a criminal court for allegedly raping and assaulting a young actress in 2018, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Depardieu, one of France’s top movie stars, has denied any wrongdoing in the case. Contacted by Reuters on Thursday, his lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
Actress Charlotte Arnould, then 22, filed a first complaint in 2018, saying Depardieu raped her at his Paris home on two occasions. She lodged a new complaint in 2020 after the first proceedings were dropped.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said it had requested a trial. It is now up to an investigating judge to decide whether this will take place.
Depardieu, 75, has been at the centre of several sexual assault allegations in recent years that have tarnished his legacy and exposed broader divisions about sexual conduct in France. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The actor will be tried in October for alleged sexual assaults against two women during a 2021 film shoot. He has denied the charges.
(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Frances Kerry)
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