West End photographer Pascal Molliere arrives at Southwark crown court
(Picture: PA)A renowned West End photographer who sexually assaulted an aspiring actress at his west London studio has been jailed for three years.
Pascal Molliere, 55, convinced the woman into increasingly revealing and naked photos during the hour-long session, after she had gone to him for professional headshots to help launch her career.
He carried out two sexual assaults while taking naked shots of the woman, and then “forcibly” kissed her as she went to leave the Fulham warehouse studio.
The victim told Southwark crown court how the incident had “crushed” her dreams of becoming an actress, leaving her suffering from flashbacks and physical ill health.
Molliere was convicted by a jury of three charges of sexual assault, and sentenced on Tuesday by Judge Phillip Bartle QC to three years in prison.
“She obviously trusted Mr Molliere, and he abused that trust in the appalling way which even he now describes as abhorrent,” said the judge.
“He exploited his position as a photographer and exploited a vulnerable and trusting young woman, who was also a paying customer, to satisfy his sexual desires.
”I’m sure she was telling the truth when she said she didn’t feel comfortable when asked to take off her clothing, but she agreed to do so because she thought he was a professional and thought it was the right thing to do.
“Mr Molliere convinced her she was safe and no one was going to see her.”
The judge concluded Molliere had planned the attack in advance, and had inflicted “life-changing” impact on the victim.
Delivering her impact statement in person, the woman told the court: “After all that happened, I felt so disgusted with myself. For all these years, I felt guilty and ashamed that I must have done something to make him think it was what I wanted.
“I remember the feeling of pure fear at being locked in that room to this day.”
She said she was too scared of Molliere’s reaction to shut down the photoshoot prematurely, and the incident has impacted on her professional and personal life.
“When I moved to London, the dream was to get into film, theatre, or TV”, she added. “For that, I needed professional headshots.
“After what happened, I felt so sick at the thought of even trying to go for roles – that somehow it would rear its ugly head and I would be just another girl desperate to do whatever it takes to get to the top.
“It crushed me.”
She came forward in 2019 to report Molliere, a renowned photographer in the West End who had taken pictures of a host of stars, after being inspired by the #MeToo movement.
The woman had borrowed money from her mother for the headshots, and booked a session with Molliere in July 2010.
In advance, he suggested she might like to bring clothes for “fashion or sexy shots”.
“During shooting, he encouraged her to remove more and more clothing, and to pose for more and more revealing shots until eventually the defendant was taking close-up photographs of her vagina”, said prosecutor Tyrone Silcott.
“During the photoshoot, the defendant cupped and stroked her vagina with his hand, kissed her vagina, and when she was leaving he kissed her forcibly on the mouth.”
The court heard the woman “burst into tears” after leaving the studio and told her boyfriend, who phoned Molliere to brand him an “abhorrent human”, and demanded he delete the pictures as well as refunding her the photoshoot fee.
Molliere, from Hampshire, denied but was convicted in February of three counts of sexual assault, following a nine-day trial.
He denied the attacks took place during his trial, but after conviction told a probation officer the touching had happened “spontaneously” - a suggestion rejected by the judge who concluded the attacks were planned.
The court heard Molliere has a conviction and police cautions for theft, and he was convicted in 2015 of breaching a non-molestation court order by approaching his ex-partner’s home.
Molliere has now given up photography, the court heard, and has created a business providing sustainable and environmentally-friendly food from a pub in Wandsworth.
Pauline Curtis, from the CPS, said: “In his capacity as a professional photographer Pascal Molliere exploited a young woman who had simply wanted a portfolio of images to help her begin an acting career. She did not consent to any sexual activity. The victim trusted Molliere as a professional photographer, however, that trust was abused while she was in her most vulnerable state.”
The judge imposed a sexual harm prevention order on Molliere, banning him from working as a photographer with women unless he gets consent from the police in advance.
