Harvey Weinstein ‘begged for mercy’ before he was sentenced to 16 years in prison

Gary Flockhart
By Gary Flockhart
Published 23rd Feb 2023, 19:48 BST
Updated 23rd Feb 2023, 20:58 BST
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“Your Honour… I maintain that I am innocent,” he told the packed out court room on Thursday

Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault at a Los Angeles court.

It comes after the disgraced movie producer, 70, was found guilty of rape, forced oral copulation and another sexual misconduct count involving a woman known as Jane Doe One, after a trial in December.

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The woman said the incident happened after Weinstein appeared uninvited at her hotel room during a Los Angeles film festival in 2013.

Harvey Weinstein, 70, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault at a Los Angeles court.Harvey Weinstein, 70, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault at a Los Angeles court.
Harvey Weinstein, 70, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault at a Los Angeles court.

After nine days of deliberation, a jury of eight men and four women reached the guilty verdict.

Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence in New York, after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in that jurisdiction in his 2020 criminal trial.

Thursday’s (Feburary 23) sentencing in LA all but signals that Weinsten will spend the remainder of his life in prison.

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Just before his sentencing, Weinstein begged judge Lisa Lench for “mercy”, telling her that he “didn’t deserve” to spend life behind bars, and adding that the allegations against him had been a “set up”.

“Your Honour… I maintain that I am innocent,” he told the packed out court room.

“I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe One. I don’t know that woman and she doesn’t know me.”

He 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.”

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“Please don’t sentence me to life in prison, I don’t deserve it. I beg your mercy”.

The former producer, 70, was wheeled into court wearing a grey Los Angeles County jail uniform and remained seated as he addressed the court.

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.