Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction upheld by US court
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction has been upheld by a New York appeals court.
Weinstein claimed the judge at the landmark trial prejudiced him by allowing women to testify about allegations that weren’t part of the criminal case.
A five-judge panel in New York upheld the lower court’s verdict on Thursday, dismissing the disgraced movie mogul’s appeal.
In a 45-page ruling, the appellate court said trial Judge James Burke properly exercised his discretion in allowing prosecutors to bolster their case with testimony from three women who accused Weinstein of violating them but whose claims did not lead to charges in the New York case.
Juda Engelmayer, Weinstein’s publicist, said he is reviewing his options and will seek to appeal against the decision to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.
“We are disappointed, but not surprised,” Mr Engelmayer said.
Weinstein, 70, is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in California, where he was extradited in 2021 as he awaits trial on charges that he sexually assaulted five women in Los Angeles and Beverley Hills from 2004 to 2013.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Weinstein was convicted in March 2020 of a criminal sex act on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and raping an actress in 2016.
He was acquitted of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault stemming from actor Annabella Sciorra’s allegations.
Sciorra’s claims date back to the 1990s and she waived her right to anonymity.
