Harvey Weinstein is found guilty after New York retrial
The jury found Weinstein guilty in the Miriam Haley case. However, he was acquitted of another sexual assault charge and deliberations over rape continue.
Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of sexual assault in New York. The jury, made up of seven female and five male jurors, took five days to deliberate before unanimously voting to convict Weinstein. The trial lasted six weeks and came after his criminal convictions were overturned last year.
However, the jury found the ex-film mogul not guilty of an additional sexual assault charge and has not given a verdict on his charge of rape. There is no official sentence yet, but it will be added to the 16-year sentence that he has yet to serve after being convicted of sex crimes in Los Angeles.
What happened in the retrial?
The trial's development centered around the testimony of three women. Miriam Haley, a former television production assistant; Jessica Mann, an actress; and Kaja Sokola, a model, accused Weinstein of using his position in the entertainment industry to sexually abuse them. The three women testified in court.
Haley's case was the one where Weinstein was found guilty. But in Sokola's case, he was declared not guilty. The Mann case, about the violation charge, will resume deliberations on Thursday. All three accusers said they met Weinstein when they were looking for a job opportunity in the entertainment industry.
Jessica Mann , one of the accussers, declared on the retrail saying that the producer rape her. The jury did not have a decision yet on his demand. Photo: AFP News
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What did the accusers say about the verdict?
Reacting to the decision, Miriam Haley said, "I hope that there is new awareness around sexual violence and that the myth of the perfect victim is fading." On the other side, Kaja Sokola said she was "relieved that Harvey Weinstein will be held accountable for some of his crimes" and emphasized how hard it was for her to come forward.
On Weinstein's defense, a spokesperson said in a statement that the trial was "fair until we got to the jury deliberations." The spokesperson continued: "More than one juror had complained that other jurors had preconceived notions and were using their beliefs about Harvey's life as evidence of guilt."
