Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in jail for rape, capping off his fall as some of the highly effective producers in Hollywood.
The sentence will seemingly result in Weinstein, who’s already serving 23 years after a conviction in a trial in New York, spending the remainder of his life behind bars. He maintained his innocence in a press release to the courtroom earlier than the sentence was delivered. “It is a arrange,” he mentioned.
A jury in December discovered Weinstein responsible of three counts — forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and penetration by overseas object — towards Jane Doe 1. However, in a combined verdict, he was acquitted of sexual battery by restraint towards Jane Doe 3. The jury additionally couldn’t attain a call on fees associated to Jane Doe 4, who revealed herself as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and Jane Doe 2.
The trial centered on testimony from 4 ladies, all generally known as Jane Does in courtroom, who accused Weinstein of raping or sexually assaulting them from 2004 to 2013. 4 others additionally testified that they had been assaulted, although their claims didn’t result in fees. In whole, prosecutors referred to as 44 witnesses to the stand to make their case towards the previous film mogul.
Los Angeles Superior Courtroom Decide Lisa Lench, who may’ve gave Weinstein so long as 18 years in jail, sentenced Weinstein to the upper finish of the attainable time period due to his prior conviction in New York. She additionally thought-about that Weinstein moved Jane Doe 1 through the assault from one room to a different, giving him time to “replicate upon his actions.”
The sentence will run one after one other against concurrently.
The courtroom listening to follows Jane Doe 1, whose testimony prompted the only real responsible verdict from jury, suing Weinstein in February for rape and false imprisonment, amongst different claims. She alleged she was assaulted at an L.A. lodge in February 2013 after she met Weinstein at a movie pageant, accusing the previous film mogul of forcing her to carry out oral intercourse on him earlier than pulling her into the toilet to rape her. The swimsuit was filed simply earlier than the 10-year statute of limitations on her claims was set to run out.
Through the listening to, she addressed the courtroom on how Weinstein’s assault impacted her. She mentioned she suffered despair and blamed herself for the rape. She urged the courtroom to subject the “most sentence allowed.”
“There no jail sentence lengthy sufficient to erase the injury,” she mentioned.
Addressing the courtroom, Weinstein pressured that he doesn’t know Jane Doe 1 and that she “doesn’t know me.”
“It is a made up story,” he mentioned in a five-minute speech denying he assaulted any of his accusers. “Jane Doe 1 is an actress. We all know she will flip the tears on.”
He claimed that his accusers are after cash and that the trial was stacked towards him. He pointed to jurors who voted to convict him attending the listening to.
“There’s so many issues incorrect with this case,” he mentioned, claiming that Jane Doe 1 perjured herself.
Weinstein confronted two counts of rape and 5 counts of different sorts of sexual assault. He pleaded not responsible to all fees towards him. In June, a New York appeals courtroom upheld a 23-year sentence following his conviction of committing a legal sexual act within the first diploma and third-degree rape.
Earlier than sentencing, Lench denied a movement by the protection for a brand new trial. She rejected arguments from Weinstein’s legal professionals that the trial was stacked towards their shopper due to the exclusion of sure proof and jury directions.
Weinstein’s legal professionals pressured that they weren’t allowed to cross-examine Jane Doe 1 on alleged monetary motives for reporting Weinstein’s assault to regulation enforcement. Protection legal professional Alan Jackson argued that her “credibility was on extraordinarily skinny ice” with jurors.
Two different ladies who’ve accused Weinstein of assault and are suing him had been additionally in courtroom.
Caitlin Dulany mentioned in a press release: “Whereas any period of time in jail may by no means make up for the trauma Weinstein brought on every of his victims to undergo – a trauma we feature and can proceed to hold with us on daily basis of our lives – I’ve a way of peace realizing that he’ll seemingly spend the rest of his life in jail.”
In a press release, Louisette Geiss mentioned “no period of time in jail will erase the injury Weinstein has brought on to the lives and careers of his survivors, together with me.”
Prosecutor should still resolve to pursue a retrial on fees associated to Jane Does 2 and 4. Jurors voted to convict him eight to 4 on fees associated to Jane Doe 4 and 10 to 2 on the cost associated to Jane Doe 2.
