Harvey Weinstein Tells Accusers at Sentencing: ‘I Have Great Remorse’
Harvey Weinstein addressed his accusers at his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, telling a crowded New York courtroom: “We may have different truths, but I have great remorse for all of you.”
In a gravelly, almost inaudible voice, Weinstein reflected on the trajectory of American culture in the two years since he was first accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women and said he was the first example of “thousands of men” who have now been accused. “I’m worried about this country,” he said, saying he thinks there is a lack of “due process.”
A New York jury found Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act in February, ending a months-long criminal trial in Manhattan that focused on the testimonies of six women who accused him of sexual assault.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Weinstein denied the amount of power his accusers and victims said he had, insisting he never held the power to “blackball” anyone. “I haven’t see my three older children since The New Yorker article came out,” he said, referring to Ronan Farrow’s Pulitzer-winning story that contained the first accusations of rape. “I have no idea what they’re doing. No communication. That, for me, is hell on earth.”
Weinstein entered his sentencing hearing in a wheelchair Wednesday, six days after leaving Bellevue Hospital, where he underwent a heart procedure after being remanded into custody in February. The convicted movie mogul — clad in a suit and tie — was quiet and reserved during opening statements until he took his opportunity to address the court.
Weinstein, who is expected to appeal the verdict, also faces a separate criminal trial in Los Angeles on charges that he raped one woman and sexually assaulted another in separate incidents over a two-day period in 2013.
The jury found Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape of Jessica Mann and a criminal sexual act of Miriam Haley (née Mimi Haleyi). However, the panel found him not guilty of two of the most serious charges — predatory sexual assault against Haley, Mann and “Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra — and the first-degree rape of Mann.
Wednesday’s hearing began with the prosecution thanking Judge Burke for conducting such a “complex” trial “in a fair and judicious manner.”
Haley and Mann were also present at the hearing Wednesday to read victims’ impact statements.
Annabella Sciorra and Tarale Wulff, who testified during the trial, were among those present to support the women.
Read original story Harvey Weinstein Tells Accusers at Sentencing: ‘I Have Great Remorse’ At TheWrap
