Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape by Los Angeles court

Jailed ex-Hollywood kingpin faces a brand new 24-year sentence for raping an Italian girl in Los Angeles in 2013.

Harvey Weinstein listens in a Los Angeles court in July 2021.
Harvey Weinstein listens in courtroom throughout a pre-trial listening to in Los Angeles, California, US, on July 29, 2021 [File: Etienne Laurent/Pool via Reuters]

Disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein has been discovered responsible of rape and two counts of sexual assault towards an Italian actress and mannequin – generally known as Jane Doe 1 – by a jury in Los Angeles, California.

After a month-long trial and 9 days of deliberations, the three responsible counts on Monday mark the second conviction of the onetime Hollywood kingmaker who turned the infamous face of the #MeToo motion in america after a litany of sexual abuse allegations emerged 5 years in the past. The jury on Monday additionally acquitted the 70-year-old or couldn't attain a verdict within the circumstances of the three different accusers.

Weinstein is already serving a 23-year jail sentence after being convicted of intercourse crimes by a courtroom in New York Metropolis.

“Harvey Weinstein endlessly destroyed part of me that evening in 2013 and I'll by no means get that again,” Jane Doe 1 mentioned in an announcement issued shortly after Monday’s verdict.

“The prison trial was brutal and Weinstein’s legal professionals put me by way of hell on the witness stand, however I knew I needed to see this by way of to the top, and I did. I hope Weinstein by no means sees the surface of a jail cell throughout his lifetime,” she mentioned.

Weinstein faces as much as 18 years in jail on the counts for which he was convicted, however aggravating components might improve that to 24 years.

Attorneys will return to courtroom on Tuesday to ship arguments associated to aggravating components.

‘Sexism, misogyny, and bullying techniques’

The fees Weinstein was acquitted of on Monday concerned a sexual battery allegation made by a therapeutic massage therapist who handled him at a resort in 2010. Jurors have been additionally unable to achieve a verdict within the costs involving two different accusers, notably rape and sexual assault costs involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and the spouse of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

“Harvey Weinstein won't ever have the ability to rape one other girl. He'll spend the remainder of his life behind bars the place he belongs,” Siebel Newsom mentioned in an announcement.

“All through the trial, Weinstein’s legal professionals used sexism, misogyny, and bullying techniques to intimidate, demean, and mock us survivors. The trial was a stark reminder that we as a society have work to do,” she mentioned.

Los Angeles County District Lawyer George Gascon mentioned he was “disenchanted” that the jury was break up on a number of the counts.

However, he mentioned he hoped “its partial verdicts deliver at the very least some measure of justice to the victims”.

Throughout 5 weeks of testimony in Los Angeles Superior Court docket, accusers together with Siebel Newsom mentioned Weinstein lured them to what they believed have been enterprise conferences. Throughout typically graphic testimony, the ladies alleged that the highly effective producer of “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love” masturbated in entrance of them and groped or raped them.

Prosecutors additionally known as 40 different witnesses in an try to present context and corroboration to these tales.

4 have been different girls who weren't a part of the fees however testified that Weinstein raped or sexually assaulted them. They mentioned he promised assist with securing an audition or a e book deal, then organized conferences the place workers disappeared and left them alone with him.

Weinstein mentioned all of his sexual encounters have been consensual and pleaded not responsible.

Weinstein was first convicted of sexual misconduct in New York Metropolis in February 2020. He was extradited from New York Metropolis to a Los Angeles jail in July 2021.

Weinstein is interesting his conviction and jail sentence in New York Metropolis.

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