Los Angeles [US], March 25 : French movie star Gerard Depardieu denied accusations of sexual assault made by two women on his second day at the Paris criminal court.
"I am not a person who would grope in the metro," said the 76-year-old actor while his attorney, Jeremy Assous, said his client was victim of a "conspiracy," according to local outlet FrancetvInfo, Variety reported.
A set decorator on "The Green Shutters" has accused Depardieu of having sexually assaulted and harassed her in 2021 during filming. The decorator said she overheard Depardieu make several crude comments, and alleged that one day, as she walked past him sitting in a corridor, "he grabbed her, pulled her toward him, blocked her with his legs and kneaded her on the waist, hips and chest, while making obscene comments."
Addressing these accusations, Depardieu said in court that he only grabbed "her hips so as to not slip."
A second woman who was working as Becker's assistant on "The Green Shutters," accused Depardieu of sexually assaulting her on August 31, 2021. She lodged a complaint on March 21, 2024.
As part of a separate case, the famous French actor has been, since Dec. 16, 2020, indicted over allegations of rape and sexual assault filed by an actress in 2018.
The trial was initially scheduled to take place on October 28 and was postponed due to the actor's health.