A Spanish journalist has made a new rape allegation against French film star Gerard Depardieu – two weeks after another alleged victim jumped into the Seine.
Ruth Baza, 51, filed a police report about the alleged rape in Spain last week, joining more than a dozen other women who have accused the 74-year-old Oscar and BAFTA-nominated actor of sexually assaulting them .
The Spanish writer claimed she was raped by Depardieu while she was interviewing him for Cinemania magazine in Paris on 12 October 1995.
She claims Depardieu kissed her on the face and penetrated her with his fingers through her clothes – an allegation that was officially filed by the police as rape, reports La Vanguardia.
Baza, who was 23 at the time while Depardieu was 46, spoke of “a violation without consent at any time” and added that she felt “paralyzed” during the incident.
A Spanish journalist has made a new rape allegation against French film star Gerard Depardieu (pictured at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival).
It comes after a criminal investigation was launched into the “mysterious death” of French actress Emmanuelle Debever (pictured), who accused Gérard Depardieu of sexual assault.
It apparently took place in the building of the former production company Roissy Films.
She initially spoke to AFP about “sexual assault”, but when asked if she had been raped, she answered “yes”.
“That’s how the police described it,” she said.
Under the sexual consent law passed in Spain last year, sexual assault charges cover a wide range of crimes, from online abuse and groping to rape, each of which carries different penalties.
If found guilty of rape, the maximum sentence is fifteen years.
Depardieu, an icon of French cinema with more than 200 roles to his name, was accused of rape in France in 2020 and was accused by more than a dozen women of sexual harassment and assault.
A French television report this month that showed footage of the actor’s sexist comments brought the allegations back into the spotlight and reignited the debate about sexism in French cinema.
Baza told AFP that she had “completely” forgotten about the alleged assault until she read an investigation published in April on news website Mediapart in which thirteen women accused the actor of sexual assault.
Baza, who was 23 at the time while Depardieu (pictured in 2013) was 46, spoke of “an offense without consent at any time” and added that she felt “paralyzed” during the incident.
The article caused an “inner click” and “flashes of memory”, which she said were confirmed by personal notes she took at the time.
The criminal complaint has little chance of leading to charges against the actor, as the events mentioned in it are already statute-barred in France.
Baza said she decided to file her complaint anyway, hoping it would “help other people” do the same.
Prosecutors in Paris are also investigating the “mysterious death” of 60-year-old actress Emmanuelle Debever, who claimed she was also sexually abused by Depardieu.
There are now fears that Debever’s last hours could be linked to several allegations of abuse by women against the film star.
Ms Debever disappeared from the home she shared with an unidentified partner in Paris late last month, before reportedly jumping off a bridge in the French capital eight days later.
She survived the fall and was pulled from the water by rescuers, but died shortly afterwards in hospital.
It was on December 7 – the same day a new documentary called “Gérard Depardieu: The Fall of the Ogre” aired across France.
It contained disturbing details of an alleged attack by Depardieu on Ms Debever when she was a teenager.
It was initially accepted that Ms. Debever committed suicide, but when investigators became aware of the numerous allegations made against Depardieu on the France 2 program, the direction of the investigation changed.
A spokesperson for the Paris prosecutor’s office said: “It was reported in the media at the time that this actress [Ms Debever] complained about inappropriate behavior by Gérard Depardieu, notably through a Facebook post in 2019.
“In light of this new element, an investigation into the causes is currently underway [Ms Debever’s] Death has been opened.’
The case has been entrusted to the criminal investigation department, which must “investigate the circumstances that may have led to this mysterious death,” the spokesman said.
A week before the investigation began, another French actress became the second woman to file a formal sexual abuse complaint against Depardieu, saying he treated her like “a piece of meat.”
The Paris public prosecutor’s office confirmed that 43-year-old Hélène Darras filed a complaint against Depardieu in September. The pair appeared together in the 2007 film Disco, when Darras was 26, and were allegedly assaulted.
Ms Darras waived her legal right to anonymity and said in the same documentary series about the further investigation (Complément d’enquete): “He [Depardieu] is uncontrollable.
“He looks at me like I’m a piece of meat.” “I have a super tight dress on, he pulls me closer to him at the waist and then he runs his hand over my hips, over my butt.”
Ms Darras said Depardieu smelled of “spilled alcohol” when he invited her into his dressing room.
She said she was initially afraid to complain about the “King of the Show” and waited 16 years before contacting the authorities.
The French actress Charlotte Arnould (pictured) made her accusation known that the 74-year-old Depardieu raped her in his Paris villa. Ms Arnould (33) waived her legal right to anonymity at the end of 2021 in protest at the length of the investigation
Helene Darras, a French actress who claims Depardieu assaulted her in 2007
It follows at least 14 other women who, along with alleged rape victim Charlotte Arnould, now 28, have accused the actor of criminal behaviour.
There is CCTV footage of Depardieu performing a sex act on Arnould at his Paris villa in August 2018, but he insists it was consensual.
Ms Arnould waived her legal right to anonymity in late 2021 after Depardieu was accused of rape and sexual assault.
A few days after his indictment, Depardieu was back working on the Seine filming location for the police drama “Maigret and the Dead Girl,” in which he played the lead role with Jade Labeste.
In October, he broke his silence on claims he was a serial abuser, saying: “I’m not a rapist or a predator.”
The Grévin Museum in Paris removed Depardieu’s wax figure on Monday in light of the new claims.
This followed the Belgian municipality’s decision to strip the actor of the title of honorary citizen after the Canadian province of Quebec also stripped the actor of its highest honor.
Source link
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
