A new trial opened on Monday in Los Angeles for ousted American producer Harvey Weinstein, accused of rape and sexual assault of women between 2004 and 2013.
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In 2020, Mr. Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York on similar charges. He faces five new charges.
“We can expect that he will not get out of prison, moreover, with his age. He will appeal the verdicts, but it is sure that he will be imprisoned for a long time”, thinks Jean-Pierre Rancourt, criminal lawyer.
At least 90 women have filed complaints against him. However, he has always denied the allegations, saying they were consensual at the time.
“He has so many charges against him, so he couldn’t make a deal to reduce his sentence. He always denied it, but the jurors didn’t believe him and found him guilty. There is no possible way out for him,” he said.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to these five new charges. Can we expect lengthy legal proceedings?
“Maybe we can do this in a month or two. But, we also know that there are other accusations in England. There will be other trials, so yes it will be long enough, ”said Mr. Rancourt.
The Weinstein affair has had impacts so far, in particular with the creation of the court specializing in domestic and sexual violence.
“Justice is changing and the justice system takes the longest to change. (…) When we have trials like that with famous people, it helps the system and the victims, ”believes the criminal lawyer.
Watch the full interview in the video above.