French actor Gérard Depardieu is in police custody for questioning following allegations of sexual assault on movie sets from two women.
French broadcaster BFMTV and daily newspaper Le Parisien reported that the 75-year-old actor was summoned on Monday morning by Paris police and placed in custody.
Officers with the Paris police force say they aren’t authorised to comment and directed questions to the prosecutor’s office – which said it had no comment “at this stage.”
“We have no information to communicate or confirm before having assessed any eventual charges and directions,” the office said in an emailed response to questions.
One of Depardieu’s lawyers, Christian Saint-Palais, was seen walking into a police station in the 14th district of Paris.
“No need to ask me any questions,” he said. “You know very well that a lawyer cannot speak at this stage of the procedure, and personally I regret that other persons have spoken, so I won’t make any comment.”
A lawyer for one of the alleged victims did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Depardieu has denied wrongdoing. In an open letter last October, he said: “I have never, ever abused a woman.”
BFMTV and Le Parisien reported that the police summons relates to accusations of sexual assault filed by two women who accuse him of groping during filming – one in 2014, the other in 2021.
The alleged 2014 assault was reported to police in January this year, Le Parisien reported.
The other alleged assault involved a 53-year-old movie decorator.
Depardieu has also been accused by more than a dozen other women of harassing, groping or sexually assaulting them.
He was handed preliminary rape and sexual assault charges in 2020 following allegations from actor Charlotte Arnould.
Depardieu was long seen as a national icon in France. He has been a global ambassador for French film and enjoyed international fame with several roles in Hollywood.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
