Prosecutors demand trial of Gérard Depardieu on rape charges

Paris prosecutors have requested that actor Gérard Depardieu be brought to trial over rape allegations made against him by actress Charlotte Arnould, French media reported on Thursday.

Arnould filed charges in 2020, claiming that Depardieu raped and assaulted her twice in his Paris home in August 2018. Depardieu, who denies the allegations, lost his appeal to have the court dismiss the case.

Speaking to French broadcaster Bfmtv, Arnould's lawyer Carine Durrieu-Diebolt described the request as a “big step forward towards a trial” and noted that Arnould “is now impatiently awaiting the end of the investigation”.

Arnould claims that Depardieu, a friend of her father, raped her twice in the summer of 2018 when she visited his Paris home to ask for advice. Arnould was 22 at the time, while Depardieu was 69. After various legal battles, including the actor's failed attempt to dismiss the lawsuit,…