Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of one count of sexual assault in his sex crimes retrial. He was acquitted of another, and jurors were as yet unable to reach a verdict on a third charge.
The split verdict meted out a measure of vindication to his accusers and prosecutors, but also to Weinstein after the landmark case was thrown into limbo. Weinstein, 73, denies sexually assaulting or raping anyone.
His initial conviction came five years ago amid the #MeToo movement; however, it was overturned last year. The case went back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse.
This time, the jury convicted the former studio boss of forcibly subjecting one to a criminal sex act in 2006. They also acquitted Weinstein of another criminal sex act charge from 2006.
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AP)
Jurors were to continue deliberating on a charge that he raped another woman in 2013. Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the first-degree criminal sex act offence.
The seven female and five male jurors started their fifth day of deliberations today by re-hearing accuser Jessica Mann’s testimony that he raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013. They had asked to revisit the testimony.
Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty to raping Mann and to forcing oral sex on two other women, Mimi Haley and Kaja Sokola. He maintains that he never sexually assaulted or raped anyone, and his lawyers portrayed his accusers as opportunists who accepted his advances because they wanted a leg up in the entertainment world.
Mann, who waived her right to anonymity, testified she had a consensual relationship with Weinstein that turned into rape, yet continued afterward. Weinstein was originally convicted of raping Mann in 2020 and forcing oral sex on Haley.
Sokola added her allegation last year after New York state’s highest court overturned the 2020 conviction and sent the case back for retrial. Weinstein is also appealing a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles.
All three women in the case have agreed to be named. Weinstein is facing a retrial after New York’s highest court overturned his 2020 conviction last year, ruling that prejudicial testimony had unfairly influenced the original outcome.
He is being retried on two of the original charges: raping an aspiring actor in a Manhattan hotel in 2013, and forcing oral sex on a production assistant in 2006.
A third woman, who was not part of the original case and has remained anonymous, has also come forward to accuse Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her in a New York hotel. He denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Weinstein’s lawyers have attempted to raise concern over his treatment at Rikers Island jail during his retrial. Last year they filed a legal claim against the city, seeking $5 million in damages over what they called “substandard medical care” and unsanitary conditions.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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Source: Mirror
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