Depardieu accused of rape by French actress in her 20s

GÉRARD DEPARDIEU, the French actor, is facing an investigation over alleged “rapes and sexual assaults” of a young actress at his Paris mansion this month.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary inquiry into allegations against Mr Depardieu, famous for his role in countless films from Green Card to Asterix, following a complaint lodged on Monday, a judicial source confirmed.

The actor “absolutely denies any attack, any rape”, said Herve Témime, his lawyer.

According to Le Parisien, the plaintiff, an “actress and dancer” in her 20s, filed the complaint at a gendarmerie in Lambesc near Aix-en-provence, southern France, saying she had been sexually assaulted twice by the 69-year-old actor.

She reportedly alleged the events took place at Depardieu’s “hôtel particulier” – town mansion – in Paris in early August.

According to a source close to the investigation, Depardieu had taken the young woman “under his wing”. She declined to comment to French media.

Depardieu’s lawyer said his client was “totally thunderstruck by this complaint”.

“He totally denies any attack. Gérard Depardieu is distraught. This accusation goes against everything he respects,” he said.

He added: “I regret the public nature of this procedure, which is highly detrimental to Gérard Depardieu, whose innocence I am convinced will be recognised.”

Depardieu is France’s most iconic actor, having appeared in around 170 films. He has had scrapes with the law in the past over drink driving.

The legal complaint comes in the wake of a string of accusations of rape and harassment in the film industry in France and abroad, sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

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