UK authorizes assault charges against Harvey Weinstein
June 8, 2022
British prosecutors have authorized police to bring charges against ex-film producer Harvey Weinstein, authorities announced on Wednesday.
Weinstein has been accused of two counts of indecent assault against a woman in 1996.
Prosecutors authorized the charges following a review of evidence gathered against the 70-year-old by London's Metropolitan Police.
There is no statute of limitations for rape or sexual assault in the UK, unlike other countries.
"The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial," Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division Rosemary Ainslie said in a statement.
Alleged crime took place in London
According to prosecutors, the alleged crime took place in London, involving a woman now in her 50s.
In 2020, Weinstein was convicted by a US court on charges of sexual assault and rape, and sentenced to 23 years in prison. The conviction was upheld on appeal. He is also awaiting a separate trial on charges of assaulting five women in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2013.
Weinstein's sentence was seen as a key development in the #MeToo movement when women came forward to publicly accuse dozens of powerful men of sexual misconduct. Weinstein was the co-founder of the Miramax entertainment giant, as well as the highly influential Weinstein Company film studio.
After the first accusations against Weinstein emerged in the United States in 2017, British police announced they were investigating multiple allegations of sexual assault against Weinstein dating back to between the 1980s and 2015.
Two weeks ago, British prosecutors also authorized police to bring charges against actor Kevin Spacey on four counts of sexual assault against three men, allegedly taking place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, as well as one alleged incident in western England in April 2013.
aw/rs (AP, Reuters, AFP)