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Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape and criminal sexual act

Harvey Weinstein has been convicted at his sexual assault trial, sealing his dizzying fall from powerful Hollywood studio boss to archvillain of the #MeToo movement.

He was found guilty of criminal sex act for assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006 and third-degree rape of a woman in 2013.

The jury found him not guilty on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, that could have resulted in a life sentence.

Charges

Weinstein was charged with one count of a criminal sexual act in the first degree (against Haley) and two counts of rape (one in the first degree, one in the third, both involving Mann).

The first degree counts carry possible prison sentences of five to 25 years; the third degree count, up to four years.

Graphic testimonies

The verdict followed weeks of often harrowing and excruciatingly graphic testimony from a string of accusers.

The conviction was seen as a long-overdue reckoning for Weinstein after years of whispers about his behaviour turned into a torrent of accusations in 2017 that destroyed his career and gave rise to #MeToo, the global movement to encourage women to come forward and hold powerful men accountable for their sexual misconduct.

The jury of seven men and five women took five days to find him guilty.

More to follow

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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