Prosecutor Seeks Therapy and Conditional Sentence for Depardieu

French prosecutors are seeking 18 months' conditional imprisonment for actor Gérard Depardieu, charged with multiple sexual assaults. He should also receive therapy for his behavior. In court, he is described as "a sexual predator".

» Published: March 27 2025

Prosecutor Seeks Therapy and Conditional Sentence for Depardieu
Photo: Aurelien Morissard/AP/TT

The prosecutor is also demanding that Depardieu pay damages of 20,000 euros to the two affected women.

You must declare Gérard Depardieu guilty of these sexual assaults, said the prosecutor, and simultaneously condemned the actor's "total denial and inability to question his actions".

The prosecutor is also demanding that Depardieu undergo psychological treatment and be registered in the sex offender registry.

Depardieu himself seemed unimpressed during the prosecutor's plea.

Depardieu was described during the trial's final day as a sexual predator and a woman-hater by the plaintiff's lawyers.

The French actor is on trial for sexual assaults that allegedly took place in 2021 during the filming of the movie "Les volets verts" ("The green shutters").

Decades

A now 55-year-old set designer claims to have been subjected to sexual assaults and harassment. An assistant director alleges that Depardieu subjected her to sexual violence. The set designer's lawyer claimed that Depardieu has committed assaults within the film industry for decades.

You may think he's a good actor and love his films. But he's also a sexual predator, she said.

The second woman's lawyer began her statement by reading out a long list of obscenities and vulgar expressions for several minutes.

This is how Gérard Depardieu behaves during film shoots. And no, you can't separate the man from the artist. He is Gérard Depardieu, one of all woman-haters, she said.

Denies

The set designer has told how Depardieu on one occasion held her fast, "closed his legs" around her, touched her stomach, waist, and up towards her breasts. Depardieu earlier acknowledged during the trial that he touched the woman's hips, not to slip, when they argued about the film's decor, and that he used "foul language".

He denies the allegations of assault.

The trial against Depardieu is seen as an important test of France's willingness to tackle sexual violence. According to critical voices, the country has struggled with a deeply rooted reluctance to confront assaults involving prominent cultural personalities.

The verdict is expected in a few weeks. If Depardieu is convicted, he risks up to five years in prison, although the prosecutor chose to plead for a conditional sentence. Ultimately, it is up to the trial's three judges to deliver the verdict.

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By TT - Translated and adapted by Sweden Herald under license from TT

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