- Sophie Long
- BBC News
Harvey Weinstein during his trial in New York in 2019
A Los Angeles court has sentenced former Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein to an additional 16 years in prison for sexual rape dating back to 2013.
The famous film producer, 70, is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted in a separate case in New York.
More than 80 people have filed allegations of rape and misconduct against him, some dating back to the late 1970s.
Weinstein told the court, “Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve that.”
He described the case as a “plot to frame him”.
On December 19, a Los Angeles jury convicted Weinstein of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault against a model and actress.
The victim, identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe 1 for her protection and anonymity, testified that Weinstein assaulted her in a hotel room during an Italian film festival in Los Angeles in February 2013.
Speaking in court before the verdict was read, Jane told the court of the trauma she had suffered “for many years” since the assault.
She said, “Before that night I was a very happy and self-confident woman. Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. There is not enough jail time to compensate me and remove the damage done to me.”
Meanwhile, Weinstein maintained his innocence, telling Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lynch that he did not know the victim. “I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1,” he said.
He said there were “a lot wrong” with the case and many “holes”.
His lawyers – who had called for Weinstein’s imprisonment for only three years – asked the judge to take into account the deteriorating health of his children, as well as his “generous” donations to charity.
Weinstein was looking away most of the time in court and did not react when the verdict was read, which came after the judge rejected Weinstein’s lawyer’s request for a new trial.
He was acquitted during his trial in Los Angeles of sexually assaulting another person he accused of assaulting him.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on three other counts of sexual assault, including one involving Jennifer Seibel Newsom, wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. A mistrial was declared.
Weinstein is likely to appeal the ruling.
The former Hollywood mogul faces up to 18 years in prison in the Los Angeles case.
He managed to avoid a sentence of up to 24 years after the jury failed to agree on whether Weinstein planned the rape or whether the victim was “particularly vulnerable”.
In 2020, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault against a production assistant in 2006 and an aspiring actress in 2013. But he appealed the verdict.
The conviction is seen as an important moment in the #MeToo movement, which has highlighted the rampant sexual harassment and assault in the film and television industries.
