Harvey Weinstein Dodges Indecent Assault Charges in UK as Prosecutors Drop Investigation Into Disgraced Hollywood Producer
Weinstein's UK charges were dropped earlier this month.
Sept. 5 2024, Published 4:45 p.m. ET
Harvey Weinstein will no longer face indecent assault charges in the U.K.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has chosen to stop seeking charges against the disgraced Hollywood mogul, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
After reviewing evidence in the case, the CPS decided "there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction".
CPS decided to drop the charges against Weinstein after reviewing evidence in the case.
In 2022, Weinstein, 72, was charged with two counts of indecent assault related to an alleged incident in 1996 against a woman in London.
Frank Ferguson, the head of CPS' special crime and counter-terrorism division, said the agency had a responsibility to continuously review cases and had "explained our decision to all parties".
He added: "We would always encourage any potential victims of sexual assault to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met."
The ailing 72-year-old was also recovering from emergency heart surgery.
The dismissal of Weinstein's charges in the U.K. follow his 2020 New York conviction being overturned in April, after the New York Court of Appeals ruled the former producer did not receive a fair trial.
At his New York trial, six women testified Weinstein had sexually assaulted them, though his charges in the case related to the rape and sexual assault of two women – a former production assistant and actress – in 2006 and 2013.
In February 2020, a jury found Weinstein guilty of rape and a criminal sexual act in the first degree. He was found not guilty on three counts, including two counts of predatory sexual assault.
Weinstein's New York conviction was overturned in April.
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Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years behind bars; however, after his appeal was initially rejected unanimously by a panel of five judges in 2022, the New York Court of Appeals overturned his conviction in April – sparking outrage from victims and critics alike.
The Court of Appeals said the trial judge made "egregious errors" by allowing testimony from other alleged victims, for which he was not facing charges. A retrial was ordered.
Judge Curtis Farber ruled in July Weinstein would be retried and a court date was tentatively set for November 12, 2024.
He remains behind bars at New York's Rikers Island as he awaits his retrial.
In addition to Weinstein's New York charges, he also faced separate criminal charges in Los Angeles, in which he was accused of raping a woman and sexually assaulting another over a two-day period in 2013.
The 72-year-old was charged with one felony count each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint. He was indicted in April 2021.
At his October 2022 L.A. trial, he was charged with 11 counts of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual battery from alleged incidents between 2004 and 2013. Four of the initial 11 charges were eventually dropped.
He was found guilty of three out of seven charges in December 2022. Weinstein was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison in February 2023.
Weinstein was then sent back to New York's Mohawk Correctional Facility. Due to his L.A. conviction, he was required to remain in prison and was sent to Rikers Island after his New York conviction was overturned.
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