French Actor Gerard Depardieu Facing Rape And Sexual Assault Charge

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French actor, Gerard Depardieu has been charged with rape and sexual assault. This was confirmed by the AFP news agency who were informed by a judicial source.

Depardieu has been accused of raping an actress in her 20s in 2018. She alleged that the actor raped her in her Parsian home on two separate occassions in 2018.

It has also been reported that Depardieu is a close friend of the woman’s family.

A source said that Depardieu and the actress were rehearsing for a play. But they added that “there was nothing professional about the encounter”.

The intial investigations into the rape allegation against the actor were dropped in 2019 due to lack of evidence.

However, a judical source confirmed that the case was re-opened last Summer subsequently leading to criminal charges being filed in December, having found “serious and corroborated evidence”.

Since the #MeToo movement began worldwide, France has seen an outpouring of stories and constant debate regarding sex, power and consent.

“The man is dark but the actor is huge”

Depite being known as one of the best French actors of his time, Depardieu has been embroiled in headline hitting scandals over the years.

In 2005, he knocked a paparazi unconscious. 6 years later, he urinated in the cabin of a Paris to Dublin flight. He attacked a motorist in 2012, before facing a drink driving charge a year later.

“The man is dark but the actor is huge”, said actress Catherine Deneuve who worked alongside Depardieu in The Last Metro.

In 2012, Depardieu announced he was “giving his passport back” in protest against French tax rates. He then went into tax exile in Belgium, before becoming a Russian citizen regularly praising Vladamir Putin. He called Russia a “great democracy”.

Depardieu “completely rejects the accusations” 

Depardieu’s lawyer, Herve Temime told AFP that his client “completely rejects the accusations“.

He also added that he regrets that the allegations have become public.

This was echoed by the woman’s lawyer, Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon who hopes that her client’s  “private sphere will be respected” as the case unfolds.