Monday, Le Parisien revealed previously unpublished details of a bailiff’s report, which complicates the defense of Gérard Depardieu in the case opposing him to the show Further investigationbroadcast on France 2 in December 2023. This issue of the investigative magazine made a lot of noise by revealing shocking images of the actor, filmed in 2018 during a trip to North Korea, where he made vulgar remarks on a little girl who was participating in a horse riding demonstration.
The bailiff’s report, which the daily was able to consult, contradicts the version of Yann Moix and the family of Gérard Depardieu who reacted strongly, accusing France Télévisions of manipulation. This 22-page “act of observation” is based on a careful analysis of the rushes coming from three cameras which filmed the scene.
Words that were aimed at the young rider
A first camera remained fixed on Gérard Depardieu, a second captured the scene in wide shot, and a camcorder carried by a relative of Yann Moix provided a third source of images, not used in the initial editing. By cross-checking these different sources, the bailiff was able to establish with certainty that the actor’s comments were indeed aimed at the young rider, and not another person.
The bailiff’s report is clear: “During this sequence, I noticed that with the exception of the young girl, only male-looking riders enter the front of the cameras,” the newspaper quotes. The little girl, identifiable by “navy blue flat shoes with white soles”, is the only rider visible when Gérard Depardieu launches his comments. The bailiff therefore rejects the hypothesis of confusion with another rider.
Remarks cut during editing
Even more shocking, the report reveals that some of the actor’s remarks, cut during the editing of the show, were even cruder. In addition to the controversial phrase “If he ever gallops, she enjoys”, Depardieu would have added: “No, but if he makes her gallop, she wets, she enjoys… those who take the salt route, or the crazy women who are on horseback, their clit rubs against the top of the saddle.” These comments, voluntarily excluded by France Télévisions for editorial reasons, appear in the raw images analyzed by the bailiff.
The case thus takes a new turn as the trial of Gérard Depardieu for acts of sexual assault is due to open on October 28 before the Paris Criminal Court. This damning report could weigh heavily on the actor’s defense, already called into question by several testimonies. In addition, the Paris Court of Appeal recently ordered a new expertise of the rushes of this sequence, at the request of Gérard Depardieu and Yann Moix, who persist in contesting the editing of Further investigation. This expertise, financed by Depardieu, will have to be presented to the court in the coming days.
