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Paris prosecutors say French actor Gerard Depardieu will be prosecuted on sexual assault charges.
The 75-year-old actor was summoned to a Paris police station on Monday morning, broadcaster BFMTV said.
He was questioned in 2014 and 2021 over separate allegations made by women who worked with Depardieu on film sets.
Depardieu was released from custody later the same day and denied the charges, his lawyer said.
Shortly after, prosecutors said Depardieu would appear in court in October on assault charges in 2021.
“I confirm that following his detention… a summons has been issued to G. Depardieu to appear before the criminal court,” the Paris public prosecutor told the BBC.
“He will be sentenced in October 2024 for the sexual assault he allegedly committed against two victims in September 2021 during the filming of the film.”Les Volette Verts’ (The Green Shutters).”
A woman involved in the incident alleged that the attack took place on the sets of the film, which was released the following year.
His lawyer told BFMTV that his client was “passing an aisle where Mr. Depardieu was sitting.
“He grabbed her, trapped her between his legs and touched her body up to her breasts.
“She felt completely powerless, unable to get out of this trap.”
In 2020, the actor was accused of raping actor Charlotte Arnold when she was 22 in 2018.
In a statement on Monday evening, the prosecutor said: “Additionally, G. Depardieu is under investigation for crimes of rape and sexual assault (in another case) allegedly committed in August 2018 against Charlotte Arnold.
“The investigating judge completed his investigation on 17 April 2024, and referred the case to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office to gather their recommendations on next steps to take.”
A separate case was brought by actor Helen Darras, but was dropped by prosecutors for exceeding the deadline.
Depardieu has also been accused of sexual harassment by more than a dozen women.
He denies wrongdoing and claims that all relationships he had were consensual.
“I have never abused any woman,” he said in an open letter published last year.
Oscar-nominated Depardieu is a leading figure in French and international cinema, having made more than 200 films.
