Former film producer and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of one count of sexual assault by a Manhattan jury.
The verdict concludes a re-trial, the result of Weinstein successfully appealing a 2020 conviction on the grounds that one witness should not have been allowed to give evidence.
The jury found Weinstein not guilty of the second charge of sexual assault and delivered a mixed verdict on whether he was guilty of rape.
He maintains his innocence.
Past convictions
Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of historical rape and sexual assault charges in New York.
The charges related to allegations made by three female actors.
He was accused of demanding sexual favours in exchange for helping the actors advance their careers.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
In 2022, Weinstein was sentenced to a further 16 years in prison after being found guilty on another three counts of rape and sexual assault in Los Angeles.
He was set to begin serving his 16-year sentence after the conclusion of his 23-year New York prison term.
Appeal
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In early 2024, the New York Court of Appeals found “egregious errors” in the process that led to Weinstein’s 2020 conviction.
This largely related to allowing the court to hear testimony from women who claimed that Weinstein assaulted them, even though they were not part of the charges he faced.
The court found that Weinstein wasn’t judged on the conduct for which he was charged, but rather “irrelevant, prejudicial, and untested allegations of prior bad acts”.
They called it an “abuse of judicial discretion” to allow “untested allegations” in court.
Retrial verdict
The retrial focused on three charges: the same sexual assault charge and rape charge brought against Weinstein in 2020, and an additional count of sexual assault brought by an unnamed female complainant last year.
The jury deliberated for five days, ultimately finding Weinstein guilty of one count of sexual assault and not guilty of the other.
The jury reached a mixed verdict about Weinstein’s count of rape. This means they will continue to discuss the case in order to reach a final verdict.
Response
A spokesperson for Weinstein told U.S. media his legal team considers the not guilty verdict on the second count of sexual assault “a little bit of a victory”. The spokesperson said Weinstein feels “hopeful” about the mixed verdict.
Following the result, complainant Miriam Haley said: “Today’s verdict gives me hope. Hope that there’s new awareness around sexual violence”. Her claims of assault against Weinstein led to a guilty verdict on Thursday.
