UK authorises assault charges against Harvey Weinstein (Credit: Google)
- British prosecutors have authorized the Metropolitan Police in London.
- Weinstein is facing two counts of indecent assault against one woman.
- The offences are alleged to have taken place between July 31 and August 31.
British prosecutors announced On Wednesday, that they had authorized the Metropolitan Police in London to charge Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein with sexual assault.
In February 2020, Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault and sentenced to 23 years in prison in the United States, in a landmark verdict for the #MeToo movement.
He lost an appeals court hearing last week to have his conviction overturned.
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Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the 70-year-old film producer was facing two counts of indecent assault against one woman in the British capital.
The Met said separately the alleged victim was now in her 50s. The offences are alleged to have taken place between July 31 and August 31, 1996.
Weinstein is awaiting trial on separate sexual assault charges in California.
Widespread sexual abuse and harassment allegations against Weinstein exploded in 2017.
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In total, nearly 90 women including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek have accused Weinstein of harassment or assault.
The “Pulp Fiction” producer has maintained that all his sexual encounters were consensual.
As allegations poured in, the Met said it was investigating a string of sexual assault claims against Weinstein.
After assessing the case against a suspect, the CPS brings criminal cases in England and Wales and authorizes the police to bring charges.
Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the CPS’s special crime division, said the charges against Weinstein were the result of a “review of the evidence” in a Met police investigation.
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