An Italian judge has given the partner of French film icon Gérard Depardieu a second chance to testify in a case involving an attack on paparazzi after the couple failed to appear in court.
Depardieu and Magda Vavrusova were due to appear before a judge in Rome following the alleged attack last May on Rino Barillari, an 80-year-old photographer known as the “king of the paparazzi.”
When they failed to appear, the judge postponed the hearing until October 15, saying he wanted to hear Vavrusa in particular about her allegations against Barillari, AFP reported.
Photographer Barillari claims that Depardieu hit him three times in the face when he tried to photograph the couple at Harry's Bar on the elegant Via Veneto street.
“Maybe (Depardieu) had drunk a little too much, maybe it was because he was in love, maybe he was looking for publicity,” Barillari told reporters as he left the court.
The 76-year-old French actor claims he slipped and fell on Barillari while trying to protect Vavrusa, who was trying to prevent the photographer from taking pictures of them.
The couple's lawyer said at the time that Barillari had pushed Vavrusova forcefully and touched her on the chest.
“It still hurts. He was extremely aggressive,” the police quoted Vavrusova as saying in her complaint.
During his long career, which began at an early age, Barillari photographed many stars, including Elizabeth Taylor and Ingrid Bergman in the Italian capital.
Depardieu, who dominated French cinema for half a century, has been embroiled in several scandals in recent years, including allegations of sexual assault. | BGNES