Depardieu will appeal order to stand trial over alleged rape, lawyer says

Paris: Gerard Depardieu, one of France’s biggest film stars, will appeal a ruling that he must stand trial on charges of raping actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Asked if an appeal was planned, lawyer Jeremie Assous told Franceinfo radio: “of course”.

Depardieu, 76, has denied wrongdoing in the case and his lawyer again questioned Arnould’s credibility on Wednesday.

Arnould first accused Depardieu of rape in 2018, saying the assaults occurred in his Paris home on two separate occasions when she was in her early 20s.

The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Tuesday that an investigating judge had ruled that the case should be sent before a court, after Arnould posted about the news on her Instagram account. No court date was given.

Depardieu first rose to prominence in 1974 with Going Places and has starred in scores of French-language movies.

In recent years he has been at the centre of a growing number of sexual assault allegations. He was convicted of sexual assault in May. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Reuters

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