Harvey Weinstein sentenced to additional 16 years in prison
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced in Los Angeles to an additional 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault charges dating from 2013.
In December, the ex-mogul and conflicted rapist was found guilty of multiple sex crime charges in the second trial that took place in Los Angeles. Previously, in March 2020, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for similar charges, and although his legal team appealed the decision, the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department upheld the initial verdict in 2021.
The Los Angeles jury convicted Weinstein on three counts of rape and sexual assault against a European model and actor who is referred to as ‘Jane Doe #1’. However, the jurors acquitted Weinstein of assaulting a massage therapist, and were unable to reach a verdict on whether he raped or assaulted two women. Actor Jennifer Siebel Newsom is one of those two women who they failed to reach a conclusion upon their case against Weinstein.
Weinstein’s legal team have been accused of misogyny throughout the trial, and they called Siebel Newsom “just another bimbo who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get ahead in Hollywood”. Additionally, at one stage, defence attorney Alan Jackson told jurors: “The truth is immutable. It’s not a feeling. It’s not a whim. It’s not a hashtag.”
Despite the convictions, and already serving a 23-year sentence for a separate conviction in New York, Weinstein denies ever having non-consensual sex. In total, over 80 people have made misconduct allegations against the producer, and alleged incidents date back to the 1970s.
The conviction of Weinstein popularised the #MeToo movement, which highlighted and spoke out against the sexual harassment and abuse of women. Started way back in 2006, the movement gained a larger following after the numerous allegations of sexual abuse aimed toward Weinstein in October 2017.
Accusations against the disgraced producer were collated by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who later wrote the book She Said, which details their journalistic efforts to bring the former Hollywood icon down. The book was later adapted into a 2022 movie starring the likes of Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan and Patricia Clarkson.
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