Jessica Mann, last accuser of Weinstein, testified in court: "He was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
Jessica Mann, ex Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's third accuser, testified about her relationship with the producer, describing him as a “monster”.
The third accuser in the Harvey Weinstein retrial, Jessica Mann, testified last Monday. Her testimony was about how Weinstein turned into a "monster" during their relationship, even though it was initially consensual.
Mann referred to the ex-producer as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." She used this comparison to express how she felt when Weinstein validated her beauty, but would change when it came to sexual situations.
How did Mann and Weinstein start a relationship?
The aspiring actress testified that she met Weinstein in 2013 at a Hollywood party. The producer convinced her and her friend to go to a hotel room by promising them a script of Vampire Academy. Then, Mann was called to his room where he forced her into unwanted oral sex. After that incident, she decided to start a relationship with him.
"I just decided to have a relationship with him. I’m sorry if that’s a bad decision. I just did. I also just wanted to buy time because I really didn’t know how to handle it,” said Mann, crying on the stand. “I just thought it would take the pain away.” She added that “maybe the mixed feelings I had were just because I wasn’t in a relationship, and if I was in a relationship it would feel different.”
Harvey Weinstein is on a wheelchair during the court's hearing on his retrial for sexual abuse. Photo: AFP News
What is Mann accusing Weinstein of?
Besides this incident, Mann's testimony led to an accusation of rape. Mann claimed that she was sexually abused by Weinstein in a Manhattan hotel in March 2013. The actress was in New York City with friends and arranged a breakfast meeting with Weinstein, but found that he had arrived at her hotel and was booking a hotel room.
Weinstein finally booked the room and went upstairs with her while she was trying to convince him not to go. But the ex-producer held the door shut, grabbed her arms, and told her to undress. “This is the moment where I just gave up,” she said. Weinstein was present, in a wheelchair, and was shaking his head "no" while she was speaking.
This is the most serious charge against him. The others are related to Miriam Haley and Kaja Sokola, who accuse Weinstein of forcing them to perform oral sex.
