Nicolas Bedos was sentenced to six months in prison for sexual assault on Tuesday. The court considers in particular that the actor “has difficulty understanding the notion of consent”.
Sentenced to six months in prison for sexual assault this Tuesday, October 22, Nicolas Bedos “has difficulty understanding the notion of consent, with particularly serious consequences in his relationship with certain women.” These are the terms used by the 10th chamber of the Paris judicial court in its judgment on the actor and director.
The court returns in particular to the paradoxical defense of Nicolas Bedos. “He claims, in view of his state of alcohol, that he does not remember the facts denounced by one of the complainants. Paradoxically, despite this supposed lack of memory, he consistently claims not to have had the intention to commit sexual assault”, indicates the judgment.
“Nicolas Bedos seems to have taken stock of his alcohol addiction problem”
The judgment also focuses on the multiple testimonies against the director. The relatives of the complainants testified to the shock felt after the events suffered. For example, one of them confided in a friend the day after the incident. She said: “She was just crying, she was panicked, upset.”
The testimonies of the owner of the nightclub and his security guard were also accepted by the court. Both indicated that Nicolas Bedos had already engaged in inappropriate behavior. During the investigation, the boss of the company indicated that he had already seen, in May 2023, Nicolas Bedos put “a hand on the buttocks of a customer” and had personally reframed it. The security guard explained that he had witnessed three incidents involving the artist, having personally expelled him twice before the evening where he attacked one of the complainants.
To one of the latter, the actor sent a message on Instagram on June 15, 2023, after one of his actions. He mentions in the conditional the inappropriate gestures towards the young woman claiming to have no memory of them.
“So if I behaved badly, I can only offer you my most sincere apologies. Even if it is unforgivable,” he concludes.
“By using the adjective ‘Unforgivable’ used as part of a thoughtful message, at a distance from the facts denounced, Nicolas Bedos evokes an act that he committed and of which he is not unaware of the seriousness,” the judgment further indicates. .
Nicolas Bedos accused of sexual assault: the actor and his “demons” face justice
The latter provides details on the profile of Nicolas Bedos and his relationships with women. “He explains that he is aware ''of having behaved execrably with others during the night'' due to his alcoholism. He adds: ''I had execrable behavior with three people who saw me for 5 minutes, This is not the image I have with others.”
“Nicolas Bedos seems to have taken stock of his alcohol addiction problem, which he is trying to treat,” notes the court. “On the other hand, it is clear from the debates that when he is drunk in particular, he has difficulty understanding the notion of consent, with particularly serious consequences in his relationship with certain women.”
The actor and director appealed his conviction but will still be equipped with an electronic bracelet.
Vincent Vantighem, with Matthieu Heyman
