What happened between Gérard Depardieu and Rino Barillari, nicknamed the “king of the paparazzi”, Tuesday May 21, 2024, in the heart of Rome? Indeed, there would have been an altercation between them when the photographer would have spotted the actor with a woman sitting on a terrace. The scene took place at Harry’s bar, on Via Veneto, around 2 p.m. “I saw him in Via Veneto with a woman. I came closer to take some photos“, declared Rino Barillari in the columns of Il Messaggero.
However, he still said that it was the woman who was with Gérard Depardieu, who would be his partner, namely Magda Vavrusova, who initially wanted to prevent him from taking a photo of them. Then, the actor allegedly approached him and punched him three times in the face.
Gérard Depardieu’s companion would have been violently pushed
However, it is not at all the same version of the facts given by the person targeted by rape complaints and his partner. Their lawyer at the Paris bar, Delphine Meillet, explained what they believe happened in a press release. “Rino Barillari, as well known for his photos as for his aggressive methods, violently pushed Gérard Depardieu’s partner“, she explained at first.
“Faced with the violence of the situation, Gérard Depardieu, who intervened between the paparazzi and his partner, fell and slipped on him“, she said again before adding: “The famous actor and his partner then got into the car, the photographer persisting, despite everything that had just happened, to bludgeon them with photos.“.
Gérard Depardieu’s companion would have explained that she was in great pain
Overheard by the police, the woman who would be Gérard Depardieu’s companion declared: “The photographer pushed me, touching my bust and my chest with his arm (…) I still have pain, he was extremely violent“. She decided to file a complaint against him. For his part, the photographer explained that he was no longer able to respond to requests because he was in the hospital.
Investigators will undoubtedly be able to rely on the testimonies of witnesses at the scene and video surveillance cameras to determine what happened.
