ROME -- French filmstar Gerard Depardieu has been accused of attacking ‘King of Paparazzi’ Rino Barillari in Rome, according to police. 

  The incident took place at Harry’s Bar on Via Veneto in Rome after Depardieu objected to Barillari snapping a shot of the actor and his partner during their lunch. Depardieu allegedly punched the photographer three times in the face before fleeing the scene with his companions in a chauffeur driven car. 

  Barillari, 79, filed a report with carabinieri that same evening after being from the Umberto I hospital with a deep facial wound. 

  The French actor and his partner, Magda Vavrusova, flew to France on Wednesday morning, failing to file a complaint with Italian authorities. According to their lawyer, they may still do this in France. 

  Carabinieri are still piecing together evidence, collecting witness statements and reviewing video surveillance from outside the restaurant. 

   Vavrusova accused the photographer of having “touched her torso and chest with his arm” in an attempt to move her out of the way when trying to photograph Depardieu. 

  Barillari’s version of events instead suggest he was assaulted for no reason when trying to do his job. 

  “He threw three punches at me. Like this: boom, boom, boom,” the photographer mimed. 

  Roberto Morassut, MP for the Democratic Party, commented on the incident. “The arrogance of these celebrities towards the Pink Chronicle staff who do nothing more than report a small moment of these stars’ notoriety remains absurdly intact.”

lw