WIFE LEAVES SEX SHAME WEINSTEIN ...NOW FILM BOSS FACES POLICE INVESTIGATION
HARVEY Weinstein was facing possible criminal investigation yesterday – as British supermodel Cara Delevingne became the latest star to say she was targeted by the alleged sexual predator.
In total, 13 women say they were sexually harassed or assaulted by the disgraced movie mogul, with three saying they were raped.
Actress Cara, 25, claimed the 65-year-old had “bragged about all of the actresses he had slept with” during attempts to sleep with her.
He allegedly demanded to know about her sexuality during a phone call and tried to lure her into a threesome with another woman in a New York hotel room “one or two years later”.
Writing on Instagram, she said: “When I arrived I was relieved to find another woman in his room and thought immediately I was safe. He asked us to kiss and she began some sort of advances upon his direction.”
As the worst scandal to hit Hollywood in decades continued to mushroom, a legal chief called on other alleged rape or sexual assault victims to come forward.
And the tycoon’s former film company has also pledged to co-operate with police in any possible sex crimes probe.
The office of the Manhattan District Attorney (DA), which has come under fire for its handling of a sex assault allegation against Weinstein in 2015, attacked his “pattern of mistreating women,” adding that it was “disgraceful and shocks the conscience.” Chief Assistant DA Karen Friedman Agnifilo said any individual who “feels she may have been the victim of a crime by this person in Manhattan” should call a hotline.
The office has taken criticism following a story in the New Yorker magazine which detailed numerous incidents of alleged sexual harassment and rape.
The story cited the case of Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, who told New York police in March 2015 that Weinstein groped her at his office.
Ms Gutierrez agreed to wear a wire and captured Weinstein saying incriminating things and urging her to join him in his hotel room. Legal experts said the case could have been charged as sexual abuse in the third degree, a misdemeanor, and police sources were said to be furious that the DA’s office opted not to file a charge.
Ms Agnifilo yesterday defended the decision not to prosecute, saying police had failed to consult with prosecutors before the recorded conversation took place.
She said: “While the recording is horrifying to listen to, what emerged from the audio was insufficient to prove a crime.”
The statute of limitations on misdemeanors in New York is two years, meaning that even if the DA’s office changed its mind it is too late to bring charges.
But in New York there is no statute of limitations for criminal sexual assault, while in Los Angeles a 10-year statute was removed in 2016 by California Governor Jerry Brown.
After firing its Oscar-winning founder, The Weinstein Company’s board yesterday announced they were “committed to assisting with our full energies in all criminal or other investigations of these alleged acts.”
It is the first time the possibility of criminal action against Weinstein has been publicly raised since the scandal broke nearly a week ago.
Weinstein has apologised for some of his behaviour but a representative said in a statement: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein,” adding he believed the “relationships were consensual”.