Agencies Paris

Veteran French actor Gérard Depardieu has been convicted of sexual assault by a Paris court on Tuesday, stemming from incidents involving two women on a film set in 2021. The court handed down an 18-month suspended prison sentence to the 76-year-old star, a significant fall from grace for one of French cinema's most iconic figures.

Depardieu, known for his roles in over 200 films including "Green Card" and "Cyrano de Bergerac," has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer stated that he will appeal the court's decision. The case is one of the most high-profile #MeToo cases to reach the French legal system, a movement that has struggled to gain the same level of traction in France as in the United States.

One of the plaintiffs, Amelie K., a 54-year-old set decorator at the time of the incidents, testified that Depardieu groped her and made explicit sexual remarks while trapping her between his legs on set in 2021. "I was terrified, he was laughing," she recounted to the court. During the trial, Depardieu reportedly argued that placing a hand on someone's buttocks did not constitute sexual assault and suggested that some women were overly sensitive.

Presiding Judge Thierry Donard, in delivering the sentence, stated that Depardieu "does not seem to have grasped either the concept of consent or the deleterious and traumatic consequences of his behaviour towards the women he assaulted." The court also ordered Depardieu, who was absent for the verdict, to be placed on a list of sex offenders. The conviction comes amidst a broader reckoning within the French film industry regarding the #MeToo movement.