Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is in custody in New York while awaiting retrial on rape and sexual assault charges in Manhattan. | Photo credit: AP
British prosecutors have decided not to pursue criminal charges of sexual assault against the former British woman. Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
The Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday (September 5, 2024) that it had decided to drop proceedings against Weinstein because “there is now no realistic prospect of conviction.”
“We have informed all parties of our decision,” the CPS said in a statement. “We would always encourage any potential victim of sexual abuse to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute where our legal criteria are met.”
The CPS previously authorized police to file charges against Weinstein in connection with an alleged sexual assault that occurred in London in 1996.
Weinstein remains In custody in New York The former movie mogul had to make a brief court appearance related to a request for his extradition to California while he awaits arraignment on rape and sexual assault charges in Manhattan, prosecutors said in August.
After a retrial, he will have to serve 16 years in California for a separate rape case in Los Angeles, officials said. Weinstein, who has denied raping or sexually assaulting anyone, was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 while he is already serving a 23-year sentence in New York.
His 2020 conviction in Manhattan was tossed out this spring by the state’s top court, which ruled that the judge in the original trial had improperly allowed testimony against Weinstein based on allegations that were not part of the case.
Published – September 05, 2024 05:58 PM IST