Weinstein to be charged in ’96 London assault
Harvey Weinstein will be charged for indecent assault against a woman in London in 1996, British authorities said Wednesday.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service said the charges against the disgraced Hollywood producer are related to two incidents that occurred between July 31, 1996, and Aug. 31, 1996. The alleged victim, who was not identified, is now a woman in her 50s, the agency said.
“Charges have been authorised against Harvey Weinstein, 70, following a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation,” Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the CPS special crime division, said in a statement.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”
After dozens of accusations against Weinstein helped jump-start the #MeToo movement, British authorities said a number of allegations against the former Hollywood heavyweight dating between 1980s and 2015 were under investigation. That means Weinstein could face further charges in the U.K. — which has no statute of limitations for rape or sexual assault.
Weinstein (inset) must be formally charged at a police station in the U.K., but it’s unclear if he will be extradited from the U.S.
Earlier this month, Weinstein’s 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting two women were upheld in a New York appeals court.
Weinstein is currently in a California jail after he was extradited to face additional criminal sexual assault charges alleging he assaulted five women in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2013. No trial date has been set.
Weinstein has maintained no wrongdoing. In 2019, he settled a number of lawsuits against him for $44 million.
Weinstein more recently filed a $5 million lawsuit against Chrysler over a 2019 incident where he crashed a Jeep Wrangler after swerving to avoid hitting a deer. He claims the crash left him with permanent injuries. Weinstein has used a walker in court appearances since the accident.