- Title: 'He must behave', says plaintiff in Depardieu sexual assault trial
- Date: 25th March 2025
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (MARCH 25, 2025) (REUTERS) ONE OF PLAINTIFFS IN TRIAL OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ACTOR GERARD DEPARDIEU, IDENTIFIED AS AMELIE K, WALKING / JOURNALIST HEARD ASKING (French): “What do you expect from Gerard Depardieu?” / AMELIE K REPLYING (French): “Nothing at all. He must be behave, be calm, he must really apologize.” AMELIE K WALKING AMELIE K SPE
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- Keywords: Amelie K Depardieu France sexual assault
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Europe,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA001156825032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: One of the plaintiffs in the sexual assault trial of Gerard Depardieu said on Tuesday (March 25) she expects "nothing" from the French actor but that "he must behave" in the hearing.
Depardieu admitted in court on Tuesday to grabbing by the hips a woman who accuses him of sexual assault, but denied this was assault and said any crude comments he may have made were just because of his bad mood.
A towering figure of French cinema, Depardieu, now aged 76, has faced a growing number of sexual assault allegations in recent years. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and this is the first case for which he is standing trial.
"I grabbed her hips," Depardieu said, admitting to physical contact with set decorator Amelie K. for the first time and saying he had not told police about it when being interrogated by police.
Crude comments he made at the time were not directed at her personally, he said, but related to her work.
“It rather stimulated me, amused me because I was wondering how he would wade through this case that is quite complicated," Amelie K told journalists. "I was wondering how he could find a way out of all of that."
She described Depardieu as "very, very strange" and found that he "behaved, a lot calmer" when the trial started on Monday (March 24).
Prosecutors allege the assaults against Amelie K. and another woman - their full identities have not been revealed - took place during the filming in 2021 of "Les Volets Verts" (The Green Shutters).
The prosecutors accuse Depardieu of groping Amelie K. on the film set, pulling her towards him and trapping her with his legs before touching her waist, hips, breasts and genitals, while saying obscene words. Three people witnessed the scene, prosecutors say.
If found guilty, Depardieu could face a sentence of up to five years in jail and a 75,000-euro ($81,000) fine.
(Production: Katya Skvortsova, Lucien Libert, Ardee Napolitano) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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