He tried it on with me when I was 17 and still at school
Cops probe Hollywood mogul as actress makes latest sex allegation
KATE Beckinsale has claimed what she thought was meant to be a business meeting with Harvey Weinstein in a hotel turned into a sordid bid to get her into bed.
The British actress said the producer opened the door wearing a bathrobe and tried to ply her with booze when she was a 17-year-old schoolgirl.
She rejected his unwanted advances and left the room. She does not allege that any sexual contact actually took place.
Kate spoke as it was revealed the Met Police are investigating a sexual abuse claim against Weinstein that allegedly happened in London in the 1980s. It will be passed on to their child sex unit.
It has also emerged that police in New York launched a review into claims of a sexual assault in 2004.
Kate further revealed that she had several furious spats with the movie boss that she believes damaged her career.
Speaking about the moment Weinstein, 65, allegedly tried to prey on her, the 44-year-old said: “I was called to meet Harvey Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when I was 17.
“I assumed it would be in a conference room, which was very common.
“When I arrived, reception told me to go to his room. He opened the door in his bathrobe.
“I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him.
“After declining alcohol and announcing I had school in the morning, I left, uneasy but unscathed.
“A few years later, he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting.
“I realised he couldn’t remember if he had assaulted me or not.
“I had what I thought were boundaries. I said no to him professionally many times over the years, some of which ended up with him screaming at me, calling me a c*** and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people, ‘Oh, Kate lives to say no to me.’
“It speaks to the status quo in this business that I was aware that standing up for myself and saying no to things undoubtedly harmed my career.
“I would like to applaud the women who have come forward, and pledge that we can create a new paradigm where everyone who has in the past shrugged and said, ‘Well, that’s just Harvey/Mr X/insert name here’ will realise that we, in numbers, can affect real change.”
Kate, the daughter of late Porridge star Richard Beckinsale and actress Judy
Loe, 70, made her claims in a lengthy Instagram post. She also claimed a former worker at Weinstein’s Miramax movie company lost his career after he told a rising star to be wary of the producer.
Kate, who is dating 21-year-old model Matt Fife, said: “I had a male friend who, based on my experience, warned a young actress who was going to dinner with Harvey to be careful. He received a phone call the next day saying he would never work in another Miramax film.
“The girl was already sleeping with Harvey and had told him that my friend had warned her off.
“Let’s stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon-fodder and let’s remember, Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick.” Kate is just the latest big-name star to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment after Gwyneth Paltrow, 45, Angelina Jolie, 42 and 25-year-old Cara Delevingne claimed he tried it on with them.
Three women have also accused him of rape, which he denies.
Oscar-winning star Jane Fonda, 79, claims she was told of sex claims against the dad-of-five last year. She said: “I wish I had spoken out… I will admit I should have been braver.”
And Emma Thompson, 58, branded Weinstein “dangerous”.
She told BBC’s Newsnight: “I don’t think you can describe him as a sex addict.
“He’s an actual predator, he’s dangerous and what he’s done and what he’s doing is criminal. Isn’t it the same story as Jimmy Savile?”
The New York Police Department said: “Based on information in published news reports, the NYPD are conducting a review to determine if there are any additional complaints relating to the Harvey Weinstein matter.”
The Met said of the London claim: “It will be assessed by the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command.”
Weinstein’s wife Georgina Chapman has left him over the claims.
His spokeswoman has said: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by him. Mr Weinstein confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.
“Mr Weinstein has begun counselling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path.”