Harvey Weinstein makes sick comment in court as disgraced movie mogul is sentenced to 16 more years on rape charge
HARVEY Weinstein sickeningly accused one of his victims of “making up” rape allegations and “turning on the tears” as he was sentenced today.
The disgraced movie mogul will serve an additional 16 years behind bars after he was convicted of the attack by a Los Angeles court.
He was found guilty of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by a foreign object involving a woman known as Jane Doe One.
The 70-year-old begged for “mercy” from the judge after realising he would spend the rest of his life locked up.
He is already serving a 23-year prison sentence for a separate conviction in New York.
Weinstein was found guilty by a jury in December for the attack on the unidentified actress at an LA hotel in 2013.
The woman said he came to her room uninvited while a film festival was taking place in the Californian city.
But Weinstein brazenly protested his innocence before his latest sentence was handed down, saying he had been “set up”.
He begged Judge Lisa Lench for leniency in front of the packed out court room, saying he “didn’t deserve” to spend life in prison.
Weinstein said: “Your Honour… I maintain that I am innocent.
“I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe One. I don’t know that woman and she doesn’t know me.”
The shamed Hollywood producer then took direct aim at his victim, alleging she had fooled the court due to her occupation.
Weinstein continued: “This is a made-up story.
“With all due respect, Jane Doe One is an actress… Jane Doe One can turn on the tears.
“There are so many things wrong with this case. There are too many loopholes. Too many things wrong with this case.
“This is a set-up. This is not the way to act in this situation.”
Dressed in a grey Los Angeles County jail uniform, he added: “Please don’t sentence me to life in prison, I don’t deserve it.
“I beg your mercy.”
Weinstein was wheeled into court and remained seated as he made his shocking plea for sympathy from the judge.
His legal team had initially sought a three-year sentence for the attack, while asking for his deteriorating health, his children and “generous” charity donations to be taken into account.
Weinstein had pleaded not guilty and has insisted all of his sexual encounters were consensual.
Jane Doe One spoke before his sentence was handed down, recounting the trauma she had endured for “many years” following the assault.
“Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman,” she said.
“Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. There is no prison sentence long enough to undo the damage.”
She called on Judge Lench to slap him with a strict sentence and visibly sobbed as Weinstein made his horrid remarks.
Her lawyer, Dave Ring, said the ruling had provided his client with some closure and relief, adding Weinstein will now spend the rest of his life in prison – “where he belongs.”
“It took tremendous courage for Jane Doe One and the other victims to come forward and testify… Weinstein is out of options.”
During the two-month trial, which began in October last year, the court heard how Weinstein had used his influence to organise private meetings with women, where he attacked them.
He previously pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of rape and sexual assault involving a total of five women in Los Angeles.
After the December trial, the jury was unable to reach a decision on several counts, notably on charges involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California governor Gavin Newsom.
The jury was also unable to reach verdicts on the allegations of another woman. A mistrial was declared on those counts.
Weinstein was acquitted of a sexual battery allegation made by another woman.
A spokesperson for Weinstein said after today’s verdict: “It’s a cruel sentence, given his age, his health and the conditions of his conviction in Los Angeles, when the sole charge was from a person who lied, with the judge and prosecutor well aware of it and permitting it, about critical elements of her own claim.
“It’s not justice, but a pile on for a man many people just decided should be cast off and discarded regardless of facts.”
Weinstein has appealed his 23-year sentence in New York, with a hearing on the possible retail scheduled for next month.
He will be eligible for parole for his initial sentence in 2039.