18 September 2024, 21:24
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Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to a new sex crime charge in New York.
The details of the charge have not been shared, but Weinstein was accused of committing a criminal sex act in the state.
This comes as the former Hollywood A-lister awaits a retrial in his landmark #MeToo case after the original conclusion was overturned.
Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on additional sex crime charges that were not part of the case that led to his now-overturned 2020 conviction. But the new indictment had been sealed.
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Prosecutors have previously said the grand jury heard evidence of up to three alleged incidents dating back to the mid-2000s.
In April, New York’s highest court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on rape and sexual assault charges involving two women.
This came after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) discontinued its indecent assault case against Harvey Weinstein, saying “there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction”.
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The 72-year-old former Hollywood film producer was facing two criminal charges of alleged indecent assault against a woman, who is now aged in her 50s, in London in 1996.
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS special crime and counter-terrorism division, said: “Following a review of the evidence in this case, the CPS has decided to discontinue criminal proceedings against Harvey Weinstein.
“The CPS has a duty to keep all cases under continuous review and we have decided that there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.
“We have explained our decision to all parties.
“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.”
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A statement from the Metropolitan Police at the time of the arrest said it had been alleged two offences were committed between July 31 and August 31 1996.
The alleged victim, a woman, is now aged in her 50s.
Weinstein is serving a prison sentence in the United States following a rape and sexual misconduct conviction in Los Angeles related to an incident in 2013 where he appeared uninvited in a woman’s hotel room during a Los Angeles film festival.
He was sentenced to 16 years’ in prison in February 2023.