Harvey Weinstein gets 16 years in prison for rape
Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Thursday for the rape of a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel room a decade ago.
The sentence was handed down by a Los Angeles court. Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence for his separate 2020 conviction in New York for sex crimes.
This increases the likelihood that the 70-year-old Oscar-winning 'Shakespeare in Love' producer will spend the rest of his life in prison, although he will appeal either way.
In December, he was found guilty by a Los Angeles jury of forcible rape, forced oral copulation and foreign object sexual penetration of an unidentified European actress.< /p>
The court heard explicit accounts of encounters between the previously influential film producer and several young women trying to establish themselves in Hollywood.
Prosecutors say Weinstein exploited and abused women for years, and long enjoyed impunity due to his then-powerful position in the industry.
The women would have risked losing their future job prospects in Hollywood if they had publicly accused Weinstein at the time, prosecutors said.
Weinstein was ultimately convicted in the Los Angeles case of assaulting a woman, but acquitted of sexual assault involving a second.
The jury has not returned a verdict on the charges relating to the alleged assaults of two other women, one of whom has been identified by her attorneys as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the current wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom .
Weinstein's lawyers had filed a defense motion seeking either a new trial or a reduced verdict, alleging they were being barred from admitting important evidence about the rape victim - including Facebook posts with a alleged lover whom the judge ruled irrelevant - and that their cross-examination was limited.
But Judge Lisa Lench denied the motion and the sentence was handed down.
In New York last June, Weinstein lost his first appeal against his verdict and sentence in the state's Intermediate Court of Appeals.
But he also appealed that case to the New York Superior Court of Appeals.
- #Me too -Weinstein's behavior has been rumored in entertainment circles for years, but his status as a powerful actor in Hollywood meant that few were willing to speak out against him publicly.
Explosive allegations erupted against him in 2017, launching the #MeToo movement and paving the way for hundreds of women to fight sexual violence in the workplace.
Dozens of women have now accused Weinstein of predatory behavior.
After his conviction in New York, a civil lawsuit awarded $17 million to dozens of other women who accused the former movie mogul of abuse.
Earlier this month, the European actress Weinstein was convicted of raping in Los Angeles also sued him for damages.
The civil case alleges sexual abuse, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and neglect.
“Defendant Weinstein’s conduct was despicable and done with malice, oppression, and fraud, thereby justifying an award of punitive damages against him,” his lawsuit states.
AFP
Please share this story:
Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Thursday for the rape of a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel room a decade ago.
The sentence was handed down by a Los Angeles court. Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence for his separate 2020 conviction in New York for sex crimes.
This increases the likelihood that the 70-year-old Oscar-winning 'Shakespeare in Love' producer will spend the rest of his life in prison, although he will appeal either way.
In December, he was found guilty by a Los Angeles jury of forcible rape, forced oral copulation and foreign object sexual penetration of an unidentified European actress.< /p>
The court heard explicit accounts of encounters between the previously influential film producer and several young women trying to establish themselves in Hollywood.
Prosecutors say Weinstein exploited and abused women for years, and long enjoyed impunity due to his then-powerful position in the industry.
The women would have risked losing their future job prospects in Hollywood if they had publicly accused Weinstein at the time, prosecutors said.
Weinstein was ultimately convicted in the Los Angeles case of assaulting a woman, but acquitted of sexual assault involving a second.
The jury has not returned a verdict on the charges relating to the alleged assaults of two other women, one of whom has been identified by her attorneys as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the current wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom .
Weinstein's lawyers had filed a defense motion seeking either a new trial or a reduced verdict, alleging they were being barred from admitting important evidence about the rape victim - including Facebook posts with a alleged lover whom the judge ruled irrelevant - and that their cross-examination was limited.
But Judge Lisa Lench denied the motion and the sentence was handed down.
In New York last June, Weinstein lost his first appeal against his verdict and sentence in the state's Intermediate Court of Appeals.
But he also appealed that case to the New York Superior Court of Appeals.
- #Me too -Weinstein's behavior has been rumored in entertainment circles for years, but his status as a powerful actor in Hollywood meant that few were willing to speak out against him publicly.
Explosive allegations erupted against him in 2017, launching the #MeToo movement and paving the way for hundreds of women to fight sexual violence in the workplace.
Dozens of women have now accused Weinstein of predatory behavior.
After his conviction in New York, a civil lawsuit awarded $17 million to dozens of other women who accused the former movie mogul of abuse.
Earlier this month, the European actress Weinstein was convicted of raping in Los Angeles also sued him for damages.
The civil case alleges sexual abuse, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and neglect.
“Defendant Weinstein’s conduct was despicable and done with malice, oppression, and fraud, thereby justifying an award of punitive damages against him,” his lawsuit states.
AFP
Please share this story:
What's Your Reaction?
