Prosecutors seek suspended sentence for Depardieu in sexual assault trial

Gérard Depardieu should be found guilty of the "indisputable" sexual assault of a set decorator, as well as sexual assaults of an assistant film director, the French state prosecutor has told Paris's criminal court, requesting the actor serve an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

- Angelique Chrisafis

Depardieu is on trial for the alleged sexual assault of the women, aged 54 and 34, during the shooting of the film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in Paris in 2021. He has denied any wrongdoing, telling the court: "I deny all of it."

The state prosecutor delivered his closing speech yesterday, the trial's final day, calling for a guilty verdict and denouncing Depardieu's "total denial and failure to question himself".

The panel of three judges will give their verdict on 13 May and, if they convict Depardieu, they will decide a sentence. He could still face up to five years in prison - the maximum sentence applicable for the charge - and a fine of €75,000 (£63,000).

The state prosecutor said the actor must be judged "like any other citizen in the eyes of the law", regardless of his celebrity status.