Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of sexual assault, capping a stunning downfall for the former Hollywood mogul and a victory for the #MeToo movement against harassment.<\/p>\n
Weinstein, 67, was convicted in New York City of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act.<\/p>\n
But he was cleared of the most serious count of predatory sexual assault. He faces up to 25 years in prison.<\/p>\n
He still faces charges in Los Angeles of assaulting two women in 2013.<\/p>\n
At least 80 women had accused him of sexual misconduct stretching back decades, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman and Salma Hayek.<\/p>\n
The allegations were at the centre of the #MeToo movement that inspired women to go public with misconduct allegations against powerful men.<\/p>\n
The movie executive enjoyed phenomenal success with Oscar winners such Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, The King’s Speech and Shakespeare in Love.<\/p>\n
The jury of seven men and five women reached their verdict on Monday morning, the fifth day of deliberations.<\/p>\n
Weinstein – who denied all charges – was convicted of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress, in 2013.<\/p>\n
But the jury acquitted him on two counts of predatory sexual assault, which carried a potential life sentence, and first-degree rape of Mann.<\/p>\n
In the minutes after the verdict, Weinstein showed no emotion as he talked to his lead lawyer Donna Rotunno.<\/p>\n
But the judge ordered him to be sent to jail immediately. He was surrounded by court officers, handcuffed and led from the courtroom. He will be sentenced on 11 March.<\/p>\n
Weinstein turned up before the verdict wearing a navy blue suit and leaning on a walking frame.<\/p>\n
Ms Haleyi, who had worked on one of Weinstein’s television productions, said she was assaulted by the producer after he invited her to his Lower Manhattan home.<\/p>\n
She testified that he backed her into a bedroom, held her down on the bed and forced himself on her.<\/p>\n
Ms Mann said that she found herself in an “extremely degrading” relationship with him that did not involve intercourse until he raped her in a New York City hotel room in 2013.<\/p>\n
She said he was a “Jekyll and Hyde” figure who could be charming in public but showed his dark side when they were alone.<\/p>\n
Another one of Weinstein’s accusers, Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra, told jurors he raped her in her apartment one night in the mid-1990s.<\/p>\n
Her allegation was too old to be charged as a separate crime, but prosecutors used it in an attempt to demonstrate that the accused was a repeat sexual offender.<\/p>\n
As part of prosecutors’ efforts to show a pattern of predatory behaviour, three other women testified they were lured to apparent work meetings with Weinstein, then sexually assaulted.<\/p>\n
During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who had used his position of power in Hollywood to manipulate and violently attack women.<\/p>\n
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast said during opening arguments: “The man seated right there was not just a titan in Hollywood, he was a rapist.”<\/p>\n
But the defence team said the producer’s accusers had had consensual sex with the movie executive to advance their careers, and the allegations amounted to “regret renamed as rape”.<\/p>\n
They pointed out that two of the accusers had kept in contact with Weinstein, exchanged flirty emails with him and had sex with him after he had supposedly attacked them.<\/p>\n
Weinstein’s lawyer, Donna Rotunno, told jurors in closing arguments they were “the last line of defence” against an “overzealous” prosecution.<\/p>\n
Weinstein was once one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, with dozens of Academy Award wins for his films.<\/p>\n
Allegations started to emerge about him in October 2017. The story was broken by the New York Times, which published details of decades of alleged incidents of harassment.<\/p>\n
Weinstein issued an apology acknowledging he had “caused a lot of pain”, but disputed the allegations.<\/p>\n
Over the coming weeks, dozens more allegations emerged and Weinstein was sacked by the board of his company.<\/p>\n
Despite continuing to deny all allegations of non-consensual sex, he was all but banished from Hollywood.<\/p>\n
Allegations against him helped drive the #MeToo campaign against sexual misconduct, where victims shared their experiences of assault and harassment.<\/p>\n
Some criminal investigations were launched but he was not charged until May 2018, when he turned himself in to police in New York.<\/p>\n
Weinstein still has to face\u00a0charges in Los Angeles, which were announced on the first day he appeared in court<\/a>\u00a0in New York.<\/p>\n The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said the charges relate to the alleged rape of one woman and sexual assault of another over two days in 2013.<\/p>\n District Attorney Jackie Lacey, when announcing the charges, said other cases were also still under review.<\/p>\n Mr Weinstein could be extradited to LA or surrender himself voluntarily dependant on the outcome of the New York case, Ms Lacey added at the time.<\/p>\n Further investigations into Weinstein’s conduct are still possible, while there is also ongoing civil complaints against him too.<\/p>\n In December 2019, lawyers said they had agreed a tentative deal<\/a>\u00a0with some accusers, which would pay out $25m (\u00a319m) to nearly 30 actresses and ex-employees.<\/p>\n The deal, which would not see Weinstein admit wrongdoing, still needs to be signed off by a court. Some plaintiffs and lawyers have expressed anger over its terms.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"