Gerard Depardieu has insisted he’s harmless after been charged with rape and sexual assault.
The 72-year-old actor is feeling “very serene”, regardless of the actual fact it was revealed earlier this week he’ll face trial after being accused of abusing a younger actress on two events at his dwelling in 2018.
He instructed Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper: “I’m harmless.
“There isn’t a proof, there may be nothing in opposition to me and subsequently I’m very serene.
“I can solely reject all of the accusations as clearly as doable, as I’ve already achieved in entrance of the investigators.”
The unnamed 22-year-old lady’s allegations have been initially thrown out by magistrates following 9 months of enquiries and the ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ actor is assured he has “nothing to concern” when he attends court docket.
He mentioned: “For me, the investigation was closed for lack of proof. In court docket, I’ll reaffirm my innocence. I’m harmless and I’ve nothing to concern.”
Depardieu – who will subsequent seem in entrance of a decide on 10 March – expressed his “disappointment and perplexity” surrounding the protection of the allegation.
He mentioned: “[I had] a sense of disappointment and perplexity in entrance of a very unfounded story, and by all of the media hype generated by an investigation that I thought-about as closed…
“[We live in] an period dominated by a steady and ruthless circulation of data pouring out on-line.”
The girl was allegedly raped in August 2018 after visiting the star’s dwelling as a household good friend of the ‘Inexperienced Card’ actor.
Nevertheless, Depardieu claimed it was a “consensual relationship” and he had been providing her profession recommendation as a great good friend of her father’s.
Her lawyer Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon insisted that the girl’s “personal sphere shall be revered” all through the case and has “requested privateness” for the actress.
Hervé Temime, Depardieu’s lawyer, mentioned he was “sorry that this data has been made public” and confirmed the actor was at present on bail.
The girl made a grievance initially in Aix-en-Provence, south of France however after 9 months of investigation, the case was closed “with no proof of a criminal offense”.
As a part of this, Dépardieu met with the sufferer, in a gathering arrange by police, earlier than the case was dismissed in June 2019.
