Roman Polanski acquitted during defamation trial in France
A court in Paris has acquitted Roman Polanski after the director was accused of defaming British actor Charlotte Lewis, who accused him of raping her when she was a teenager.
Lewis made her movie debut in 1986 when she appeared in Polanski’s film Pirates. Over two decades later, in 2010, the actor claimed Polanski had sexually assaulted her “in the worst possible way” at a casting audition that took place in Paris in 1983, when she was aged 16 and eyeing up a role in his movie.
During a 2019 interview with Paris Match, Polanski responded to Lewis’ allegation, which he labelled a “heinous lie”. Furthermore, he also pulled out an interview she made with the now-defunct newspaper News of the World in 1999. In the piece, she allegedly commented: “I was fascinated by him, and I wanted to be his lover.”
Notably, Polanski has not been acquitted of sexual assaulting Lewis, and the court’s decision strictly relates to the charge of defamation. Lewis plans to appeal the decision, according to the BBC.
In the court case, which began in March, Lewis said of the News of the World article: “The interview I gave to Stuart White was not the interview that was in the newspaper”. Lewis also claimed it was several years before she read the article.
White was present during the court case, and claimed he spoke with Lewis twice for the interview, which she was paid £30,000 for. He claimed they had agreed on a “vice girl” narrative for the piece, but was unsure whether the actor approved the words in the piece before it went live.
While in court, Lewis said she was the victim of a “smear campaign” after making the allegation of abuse against Polanski and said it “nearly destroyed” her life.
Polanski, who wasn’t present during the trial, fled to Europe from America in 1978 after he was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl. He remains wanted in the United States over the statutory rape charge, which he denies. Switzerland, France and Portugal have refused to extradite the director to the US.
Furthermore, four women made allegations of abuse against Polanski between 2017 and 2019, which they claim occurred during the 1970s. The director denies all of the allegations.
This is a developing story.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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