14 March 2023 , 21:01
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Harvey Weinstein will not be retried on rape and sexual assault charges relating to two women, Los Angeles prosecutors have revealed.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson announced the decision to Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench at a hearing in LA on Monday.
The judge dismissed the charges and said Weinstein would be returned to New York, where he is serving a 23-year sentence for a different rape and sexual assault conviction.
Disgraced movie mogul Weinstein was sentenced to a further 16 years in prison last month after being found guilty of rape and two other sexual misconduct charges involving a woman known as Jane Doe One.
Following the trial, the jury was unable to reach a decision on several counts, including those related to two women known as Jane Doe Two and Jane Doe Four.
Harvey Weinstein faces 24 extra jail years at sentencing for rape & sex assault
Harvey Weinstein will not be retried on rape and sexual assault charges (Etienne Laurent/AP/REX/Shutterstock)After the charges were dismissed this week, the court heard an in-person statement from Jane Doe Two.
She said she was "very disappointed" prosecutors would not be retrying the 70-year-old Hollywood producer.
"For 10 years I have done everything I can to seek justice for what the defendant did to me," she said.
"I believed in our system of justice and hoped I would achieve justice if I testified truthfully, which I did. I wanted him to be held accountable for what he did to me.
"I think that Harvey Weinstein should be punished for any and every crime he has committed against women – including me.
"Harvey Weinstein … will always be remembered not as a famous producer, but as a sexual predator."
He was recently sentenced to a further 16 years in prison (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)The court also heard a statement from Jane Doe Four, which said the trauma caused by Weinstein’s alleged acts had been "crippling".
The statement, which was read out by deputy district attorney Marlene Martinez, said: "There are days when I cannot sit and nights when I cannot sleep."
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson praised the courage of the victims for testifying before announcing that they would not be proceeding with the retrials.
After receiving his sentence in February, Weinstein maintained his innocence and begged judge Lench for "mercy".
Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years in jail for rape and sexual assault
On Monday, the former producer appeared in court in person, wearing a grey Los Angeles County jail uniform and sitting in a wheelchair.
Judge Lench said Weinstein would be remanded in custody in LA before being returned to New York, where he was convicted in a similar case.
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999