Weinstein led into court in handcuffs on rape charges
MOVIE mogul Harvey Weinstein appeared in court yesterday for the first time since allegations of his predatory sexual abuse rocked Hollywood.
The 66-year-old former studio boss, accused of rapes and other vile acts against women, was led into court in Manhattan with his hands cuffed.
He appeared confused and unsteady on his feet and had to sit down on a bench as he waited for his case to be called, hanging his head forward and closing his eyes.
Weinstein was outed as a sex predator by the New Yorker magazine in October last year and since then more than 80 women including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have accused the Miramax boss of harassing or attacking them.
The mogul did not enter a plea to one count of a criminal sexual act, one count of rape in the first degree and one count of rape in the third degree.
Outside court his lawyer Ben Brafman said he intended to deny the charges adding Weinstein “did not invent the casting couch”.
The victims were not named in court. However, the charges reportedly relate to forcing former actress Lucia Evans, now 34, to perform a sex act on him in 2004 and twice raping another unnamed victim.
Miss Evans went on the record in the New Yorker to say she was trying to break into showbusiness when he took her to his office and overpowered her.
Boardwalk Empire actress Paz de la Huerta, 33, has claimed that he raped her in 2010. She told Vanity Fair she was 26 when Weinstein took her to her New York home then attacked her.
Weinstein’s appearance in court began at 7.30am when he surrendered himself at the First Precinct police station to be formally arrested. He was freed on $1million (£750,000) bail after the 10-minute court hearing but agreed to be fitted with an ankle monitoring device and surrendered his passport.
His British wife Georgina Chapman, 42, with whom he has two children, is divorcing him and was not in court. Weinstein is led in handcuffs from a New York police station yesterday on his way to court. Left, Lucia Evans, and below, Paz de la Huerta, two of the accusers whose claims against the Hollywood movie mogul have led to his downfall