UNITED STATES: The Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been accused of rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison by a court in Los Angeles. He had received a 23-year prison term in 2020 for a similar conviction in New York, resulting in a likely life sentence for the 70-year-old.
Harvey Weinstein sentenced to imprisonment
This followed after the jury found him guilty of attacking an Italian actress and model at a film festival in Los Angeles. After denying the charges, Weinstein begged to avoid a given life sentence and appealed directly to the judge in the courtroom, where he sat wearing a prison uniform in a wheelchair.
He said, “I firmly believe I’m innocent. I never committed rape or sexual assault. Please don’t give me a life sentence. I don’t deserve it. There are a lot of issues with this case.”
The woman broke down in the courtroom as he spoke moments earlier, when she told the judge about the agony she was going through after Weinstein attacked her.
“Prior to that night, I was a really happy and confident lady. I cherished who I was and my relationship with God,” she said through tears.
“I was eager for the future. After the defendant assaulted me severely, everything changed. No amount of time behind bars could repair the harm,” she said. Weinstein accused the actress of concocting the story.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Mark Werksman, mentioned the producer’s age and ill health, highlighting a long sentence that would make it unlikely he would ever see his five children again.
“During the course of his 50-year career, Weinstein helped a lot of people, and he was a man that many big movie stars would honour in their Oscar speeches,” Werksman said.
The highest court in New York has agreed to hear his appeal of his rape and sexual assault convictions here. Another hearing on the possible retrial would be scheduled in March. He would receive parole in New York in 2039.
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