Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape and criminal sexual assault charges, acquitted on others

One of the major criminal cases to stem from the MeToo movement, that uncovered some spine chilling accounts of sexual misconduct in show business, has come to an end with Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein pronounced as guilty after a New York court trial. The high profile case presided over by Judge James Burke, found Weinstein guilty on two counts- criminal sexual assault and rape. Both the allegations were made from separate women during the month-long trial.

Harvey Weinstein rape trial concludes

The court announced the ruling after 12 jurors deliberated for 26-and-a-half hours over five days and reached the verdict that convicted Harvey Weinstein of rape and sexual assault. The criminal sexual assault charge came from Miriam Mimi Haleyi, who was a production assistant and said that he assaulted her in 2006. The jury also determined that Weinstein raped former aspiring actor Jessica Mann at a hotel in 2013.

However, he was acquitted of the dozens of misconduct allegations that were charged against him by several women in the past few months. He was found not guilty of the most severe charge, predatory sexual assault, which would have acknowledged a pattern that included forcing sex on actor Annabella Sciorra in 1993 or 1994 and would have carried a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.

Read | Harvey Weinstein trial: Jury to begin deliberations as both sides rest their case

The defence lawyers had previously tried to undermine the claims of accusers by grilling their friends. Donna Rotunno, Weinstein’s lead Attorney, had claimed that her client is an innocent man and relied on jurors to be not swayed by a “sinister tale”. She even tried to establish that all the relations of Weinstein were consensual asking jurors to use their “common sense” and weigh on facts and not get swayed by “the story they spun”.

Read | Harvey Weinstein trial: Defence tells jurors to not buy into 'sinister tale'

Harvey Weinstein will reportedly be sentenced at a later date. The case is a landmark of the MeToo movement, which has brought a flurry of sexual assault and harassment allegations against powerful men and prompted conversations about gender and misconduct in all walks of life.

Read | Harvey Weinstein trial: Defence team to make final case for acquittal

Read | Harvey Weinstein trial: Defence rests case as movie mogul declines to testify

(With AP inputs)