British prosecutors on Thursday dropped charges relating to the alleged sexual assault of a woman in August 1996.
British prosecution for Harvey Weinstein ends. Prosecutors announced Thursday that they have dropped the sexual assault charges brought in the United Kingdom against the disgraced Hollywood film producer.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement that after reviewing the evidence from the investigation, “There is no longer any realistic prospect of conviction”in this case which concerned alleged sexual assaults on a woman in August 1996. “We have explained our decision to all parties”said Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS’s special crimes and counter-terrorism division.
In June 2022, the British prosecutor’s office gave the green light to the indictment of the American producer, whose crimes sparked the #MeToo movement in 2017, “for two counts of sexual assault”.
“We will always encourage all potential victims of sexual assault to come forward and contact the police, and we will prosecute (those responsible) wherever the legal criteria are met.”he insisted on Thursday.
Still on trial in New York
Harvey Weinstein, arrested in 2018, is being held on sexual assault and rape charges in the United States. The 72-year-old former producer is due to be retried in New York soon, after an appeals court overturned his 2020 conviction for the 2013 rape of actress Jessica Mann and the 2006 sexual assault of production assistant Mimi Haleyi in late April.
He remains in custody due to a 2023 sentence to 16 years in prison in Los Angeles for other cases of rape and sexual assault. The revelations in 2017 about his sexual assaults had triggered a global shockwave and freed the speech of many victims. More than 80 women have accused him of harassment, sexual assault or rape, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.
