Harvey Weinstein faces new criminal charges in the UK for indecent assault

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse as jury deliberations continue in his rape trial on Feb. 19, 2020, in New York. British prosecutors said Wednesday, they have authorized police to charge ex-film producer Harvey Weinstein with two counts of indecent assault against a woman in London in 1996.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse as jury deliberations continue in his rape trial on Feb. 19, 2020, in New York. British prosecutors said Wednesday, they have authorized police to charge ex-film producer Harvey Weinstein with two counts of indecent assault against a woman in London in 1996. (John Minchillo, Associated Press)


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LONDON — Harvey Weinstein is likely going to be charged with two counts of indecent assault against a woman in London in 1996, according to the United Kingdom's Crown Prosecution Service.

The former Hollywood producer faces a litany of other charges, and last week, a New York appeals court upheld his 2020 conviction for felony sex crimes, which carries a 23-year sentence, according to The New York Times.

What do the new charges mean?

British police said they were looking into multiple allegations of sexual assault after a series of revelations came out about Weinstein, according to The Associated Press. The incidents reportedly took place between the 1980s and 2015.

  • The new charges against Weinstein stem from an investigation into two alleged offenses that occurred between July 31 and Aug. 31, 1996. The alleged victim is a woman who is now in her 50s, according to The Guardian.
  • "The CPS has authorized the Metropolitan police to charge Harvey Weinstein with two counts of indecent assault against a woman in August 1996," said Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the CPS special crime division. Ainslie said the charges come after "a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan police."
  • The U.K., unlike many countries, has no statute of limitations on sexual abuse, according to CBS News.

What's next for Weinstein?

Weinstein, 70, is currently being held in Los Angeles at the Correctional Treatment Center, where he awaits trial on 11 charges of rape and sexual assault, according to NBC News.

  • After The New York Times reported that Weinstein had allegedly sexually abused women over the course of three decades in 2017, the once-powerful movie mogul was accused by dozens more women who came forward with their own stories of sexual misconduct.
  • The revelations sparked the #MeToo movement, and Weinstein was arrested in New York City on sex crime charges in 2018. In 2020, he was found guilty of two felonies — a first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape — and has also been indicted for sexual assault in Los Angeles.
  • Weinstein has pleaded not guilty in California and claims he only engaged in consensual sexual activity, according to The New York Times.
  • In May, the Crown Prosecution Service also announced it had authorized charges against the actor Kevin Spacey, for four counts of sexual assault, according to NPR.

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Bridger Beal-Cvetko covers Utah politics, Salt Lake County communities and breaking news for KSL.com. He is a graduate of Utah Valley University.

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