Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted one of two women, court finds

Telegraph

a day ago

Harvey Weinstein has been convicted on one count of sexual assault by a Manhattan jury in his second New York sex crimes trial, one year after the disgraced Hollywood titan's conviction was overturned.
Weinstein was found not guilty on a second sexual assault charge and a verdict has not yet been delivered on one count of rape.
The jury will continue to deliberate on the third-degree rape charge on Thursday in an 'unusual' move, according to Courthouse News.
The prosecution accused Weinstein of attacking women in hotel rooms between 2006 and 2013, using his power and influence to lure in victims and then keep them silent. The movie mogul, who is suffering from a string of health problem s, sat through the six-week trial in a wheelchair.
The Miramax studio co-founder, who is already serving a 16-year prison sentence for rape in Califronia, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
Partial victory for accusers
The verdict is a partial victory for Weinstein's accusers, two of whom had to testify again after Weinstein's 2020 conviction was thrown out by the state appeal's court last year. Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York, when the conviction for rape and a criminal sexual act was overturned.
After the 2020 conviction was thrown out, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney opted to charge Weinstein again almost immediately, eventually bringing two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act and one count of third-degree rape against him.
During the trial, prosecutors sought to show Weinstein used his power in Hollywood to sexually assault and 'exert enormous control' over the three women, all of whom were seeking work in the film and television industry.
He offered the women scripts and promises of fame, and he 'used those dream opportunities as weapons,' Shannon Lucey, an assistant district attorney, said during her opening statement.
Prosecutors called 24 witnesses during the retrial, including Weinstein's former assistants, relatives of his accusers and workers at the hotels where he is accused of attacking the women.
They did not include testimony from women who accused Weinstein of assaults that did not lead to charges. Relying on such so-called prior bad acts testimony led to Weinstein's earlier conviction being overturned.
The 2020 conviction had been a milestone in the #MeToo movement.
Weinstein denied the charges, alleging the sexual encounters were consensual. Arthur Aidala, his lawyer, said the Oscar-winning producer had 'mutually beneficial' relationships with his accusers, who ended up with auditions and other show business opportunities.
Prosecutors originally accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, charges he was convicted of in the first trial. For the retrial, prosecutors added a new charge that Weinstein assaulted another woman in Manhattan in 2002.
The woman, Kaja Sokola of Poland, testified to the jury of seven women and five men that Weinstein assaulted her in a Manhattan hotel room.
More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. He has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex.