French Actor Gerard Depardieu Charged With Rape & Sexual Assault
Gerard Depardieu has been charged with rape and sexual assault.
The 72-year-old Cyrano de Bergerac actor was charged for the acts allegedly committed in 2018 against an actress in her 20s, Daily Mail reported Tuesday (February 23).
“A first probe of the rape accusations against Depardieu, 72, was dropped for lack of evidence but later reopened, leading to criminal charges filed in December, a judicial source told AFP on Tuesday,” the outlet reported.
His lawyer, Herve Temime, told AFP that the actor “completely rejects the accusations.” He is reportedly a friend of the actress’s family.
Her lawyer, Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon, said she hopes her client’s “private sphere will be respected.”
The preliminary investigation began in August of 2018 after the young woman filed a complaint against the star, claiming he sexually assaulted and raped her at his home in Paris, France. It was dropped after nine months in early 2019, when investigators failed to gather proof to proceed. She then relaunched proceedings by acting as an “injured party,” which under French law almost always leads to a case being examined by an investigating magistrate, according to Daily Mail.
“I regret the public nature of this process which poses a major prejudice to Gerard Depardieu, whose innocence I am convinced will be recognized,” his lawyer told AFP back in 2018.
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