Weinstein guilty over sex assaults
His victims are praised for standing up to him
CRIME: Actress Rose McGowan said Harvey Weinstein will know how it feels to have “power wrapped around his neck” after the film mogul was convicted of rape and sexual assault.
Weinstein, once one of Hollywood’s most powerful men, is facing up to 25 years in jail after a jury found him guilty of attacking two women.
ACTRESS ROSE McGowan said Harvey Weinstein will finally know how it feels to have “power wrapped around his neck” after the disgraced film mogul was convicted of rape and sexual assault.
Weinstein, once one of Hollywood’s most powerful and feared men, is facing up to 25 years in prison after a New York City jury found him guilty of attacking two women.
He was sent immediately to Rikers Island jail, New York, to await sentence next month.
It was the first trial of the #MeToo era, which was sparked by a torrent of allegations against the 67-year-old studio boss in October 2017.
McGowan was one of the earliest – and most prominent – of Weinstein’s accusers.
“Today is a powerful day,” she said. “And a huge step forward in collective healing. Twenty years ago I decided to come after Weinstein because I’d heard about him doing this to someone else and then I heard him doing it to someone else and someone else.
“Every one of us who has come forward, we have a name, we have a history, we have a life, we are more than Weinstein. But today, because of the brave women who bared their deepest hurt for the world to see, he’s in Rikers Island.
“For once he won’t be sitting comfortably. For once he will know what it’s like to have power wrapped around his neck. Today is not a referendum on #MeToo. This is taking out the trash.”
It was alleged throughout the trial Weinstein used his immense power and influence to exploit women and the jury heard harrowing testimony from a string of accusers.
He was convicted on charges stemming from a 2006 sexual assault and a 2013 rape.
The jury found Weinstein not guilty of the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, that could have resulted in a life sentence.
Weinstein faces between five and 25 years in prison, the Manhattan District Attorney said, with sentencing on March 11.
McGowan, who alleges she was assaulted by Weinstein in the 1990s, praised the other women who came forward and said she wanted to cause a “massive cultural reset”.
She said: “We achieved that already with what happened but today the trashman came. He said to all the little girls and little boys who get hurt in this world some day maybe you too can have a voice.”
Former Charmed star McGowan, 46, added: “I believe we can be better as a world, as people, as humans. Today is one more step forward in that direction.”
Actress Ashley Judd, another of the dozens of women to make allegations against Weinstein, tweeted: “For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere. Thank you.”
Following the verdict, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr hailed a “new day”.
He said: “This is the new landscape for survivors of sexual assault in America. This is a new day.
“It’s a new day because Harvey Weinstein has finally been held accountable for crimes he committed. The women who came forward courageously, and at great risk, made that happen.”
Tina Tchen, president and CEO of the Time’s Up Foundation, said it marked a “new era of justice”.
Labour MP Jess Phillips tweeted: “I’ve met a few of the women who have made claims against Weinstein. I’ve worked with remarkable women forced into years of silence through non-disclosure agreements by him.
“They all said to me at one point or another, ‘I just don’t believe he’ll ever go to jail’. Years of no one listening does that.” Actress Elizabeth Banks tweeted: “I am heartened for his victims and for all those who said #metoo and #Time’sUp that some justice has been done.”
Actress Mira Sorvino, who accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and of derailing her career, tweeted: “The beginning of #justice. More to come, my sisters.”
Weinstein is also facing charges in Los Angeles.