Gérard Depardieu to face criminal trial over alleged rape of Charlotte Arnould
French actor Gérard Depardieu is set to face a criminal trial for the alleged rape and sexual assault of fellow actor Charlotte Arnauld.
Arnauld first made accusations of rape against Depardieu in 2018, alleging that it happened on two separate occasions at his Paris home.
The case has been under investigation by the French police since 2020. Now, it has been confirmed that it’s heading to a trial, although no trial date has been set.
At the time of the alleged assaults in 2018, Arnauld was 22 and Depardieu, who denies any encounter was non-consensual, was aged 70.
Following confirmation of the trial, Arnauld has written on social media: “Seven years later, seven years of horror and hell … I think I’m having trouble realising how huge this is. I’m relieved.”
In May, in a separate case, Depardieu was handed a suspended prison sentence of 18 months after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. He stood trial in March after being accused of groping a set designer and an assistant on the movie Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) when they filmed the production in 2021.
Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, the lawyer acting for the two women, told reporters outside of the French court: “It’s a victory for two women on a film set but it’s a victory for all the women behind this case and I’m thinking of all of Depardieu’s other victims.”
In addition to his 18-month suspended sentence, Depardieu was also fined €20,000 (£16,850) and placed on the sex offenders’ list.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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