End Polanski case, victim says
She tells judge she wants media spectacle to stop
LOS ANGELES — Forty years ago, a 13-year-old girl clutched a heart charm her friend gave her as a prosecutor made her describe in explicit detail to a grand jury her alleged rape by director Roman Polanski.
On Friday, Samantha Geimer testified in the criminal case for the first time since that day, this time pleading with a judge to sentence Polanski, 83, to time served, so that her family can be released from the media spectacle that has haunted her life since that day.
Geimer, 54, said freeing the fugitive director of his international warrant would be “an act of mercy to myself and my family.”
She said she did not want her grandchildren exposed to what she and her sons have faced for decades now.
“I imagine that if Roman wins another Oscar or Roman eventually passes away, as we all must, I will not be able to go out my front door and my granddaughter will get an introduction to how horrible this can be,” she told reporters at a news conference outside court.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon, like previous judges in the case, had already ruled against sentencing Polanski until he turns himself in on U.S. soil, and he gave no sign that the legal odyssey was coming to an end.
Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful intercourse with a minor in 1977 and was sent to the state prison in Chino for a 90-day psychiatric study that he believed was his sentence. He was released after 42 days after the prison psychiatrist deemed his crime “playful mutual eroticism.” That finding starkly contrasted with Geimer’s uncontested claims that she was drugged and repeatedly tried to ward off Polanski’s advances before he forced her to have sex. Judge Laurence J. Rittenband called the report a whitewash.
Under intense public scrutiny, the judge reneged on his promise, telling the attorneys in chambers that he would send Polanski back to prison for the remaining 48 days, after which the director would have to voluntarily deport himself or face a much lengthier sentence.
Polanski fled, getting the last seat on the next British Airways flight to London.
Ever since, his lawyers have alleged numerous acts of misconduct by the court, arguing he would not get a fair hearing if he returned.
In 2008, the documentary “Roman Polanksi: Wanted and Desired” explored the allegations and reignited interest in the case. The next year, he was arrested in Switzerland and spent nine months in prison and under house arrest before Swiss officials denied the United States’ extradition request.
On Friday, his attorney, Harland Braun, argued to unseal testimony from 2010 by the original prosecutor, Roger Gunson, who has said Rittenband acted in bad faith. Braun said he hoped he can use the affidavit to get the Interpol warrant lifted so that Polanski can travel freely outside the United States.
“His concern is that if he’s traveling with his family, he gets arrested,” Braun told reporters.
Gordon said he would issue a written ruling on the motion.
Since the beginning, Geimer has said she did not want Polanski to serve time, but simply admit his wrongdoing.