Search icon

News

20th Dec 2022

Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape and sexual assault

Sarah McKenna Barry

He is awaiting sentencing following the most recent verdict.

Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault by a jury in Los Angeles.

Weinstein is already serving a 23-year-sentence for sex crimes in New York, but the recent verdict may mean that he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

At the trial in California, the jury heard multiple descriptions from four women of their encounters with Weinstein while he was still active in Hollywood. Seven charges were brought against him. However, the jury only reached a verdict on one unnamed woman’s allegations of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by foreign object of a woman. The jury remained hung on one count of rape, one count of sexual battery and one count of forcible oral copulation. The producer was acquitted of one count of sexual battery.

The charges in the trial were said to have taken place in Los Angeles County between 2004 and 2013.

His sentencing is scheduled to take place next year, but he must complete his current prison sentence before he can be moved to a California prison.

Initial allegations of sexual assault by Weinstein were made public in October 2017, sparking the #MeToo movement. In 2018, the producer was arrested in New York and charged with rape before being found guilty of two felonies in 2020.

He received a 23-year prison sentence for his crimes, and he is currently serving it at Wende Correctional Facility.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, support is available. You can contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 77 8888.