A jury in the United States on Monday convicted former film producer Harvey Weinstein of a felony sex crime and a rape, The New York Times reported. Six women had testified against Weinstein during the trial, alleging sexual assault.
The jury found Weinstein guilty on two counts – a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. However, the jury acquitted Weinstein in two charges of predatory sexual assault. An actor, best known for her work in The Sopranos, had made these allegations.
The former film producer sat in court looking straight ahead, flanked by his lawyers, when the verdict was announced. He appeared unmoved by the judgement.
The indictment rested on the accusations of a former television production assistant who testified that Weinstein forced oral sex on her at his Manhattan apartment in 2006, and a former aspiring actor, who alleged he raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.
The two women acknowledged that they continued to date Weinstein after the sexual assault, and had sex with him, which complicated the prosecution’s case. However, four women, brought in by the prosecution only to establish a pattern in Weinstein’s sexual behaviour, testified against the film producer.
The allegations of sexual assault were first reported by The New York Times and The New Yorker in 2017, which led to the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. The movements sought to expose sexual harassment and assault, especially at workplace.
Since the allegations against Weinstein became public, several people from within the American film industry and outside accused actors and directors such as Dustin Hoffman, Brett Ratner, Geoffrey Rush, Ryan Seacrest, Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman of misconduct.
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