French Actor Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty of Sexual Assault, Handed 18-Month Suspended Prison Sentence: Reports

French actor Gérard Depardieu has been handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021, according to reports.

On Tuesday, May 13, a judge made the decision after the case came before a court in Paris, Reuters and the Associated Press reported. 

Per the AP, Depardieu, 76, will appeal the court’s decision and has denied any wrongdoing, citing his lawyer. The actor didn’t attend Tuesday’s hearing.

Depardieu was also fined around $32,350 (29,040 euros) and the court has requested that he be registered in the national sex offender database, the AP noted.

As previously reported by PEOPLE, Depardieu has been on trial amid accusations that he groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during the making of the 2022 film, Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).

The set decorator had told the court of the alleged assault, “He touched everything, including my breasts,” Reuters reported. 

“I was terrified, he was laughing,” she added, according to the outlet.

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Depardieu has faced more than 20 other allegations of sexual assault over the years, The Hollywood Reporter previously stated.

The 54-year-old set dresser previously alleged in court that Depardieu had trapped her between his legs while she was trying to move past him in a narrow hallway, testifying that he began “palpitating” her behind and then grabbing her chest, the AP reported.

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Depardieu previously claimed he grabbed the woman’s hips in an effort not to fall down, according to The New York Times. The outlet reported that the woman testified that Depardieu did not let go until another staffer on set stepped in to pull him off of her.

“I tried to free myself, I tried to take his hands away, I couldn’t do it,” the woman testified, according to the Times. “He terrified me, he laughed, he looked like a madman.”

The Paris prosecutor’s office and Depardieu’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. PEOPLE has also attempted to reach out to a representative for the actor.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.