Weinstein Found Guilty of Sexual Assault and Rape

Longtime film producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced in a New York court on Monday of sexual assault and rape, and hauled off to jail in handcuffs, a triumph for the # MeToo movement that influenced women to publicly accuse powerful men of misbehavior.

Once among the most prominent producers in Hollywood, Weinstein, 67, was found guilty of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping one-time aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.

Before leading him away, officers aided Weinstein unstably to his feet. His lawyer said Weinstein was taken to the New York City's Rikers Island prison complex by a walker throughout the trial.

The structure renowned for its violence and negligence contrasted sharply with the elegant Four Seasons hotel, in which Weinstein, producer of well-known films such as "The English Patient" and "Shakespeare in Love", had breakfasts.

His hearing was scheduled for 11 March and his attorney promised to make an appeal.

Throughout the trial he told reporters he wanted to talk but his attorneys said that it was unnecessary as the case against him was feeble. For his defense, Weinstein never got to testify.

Actress Rose McGowan, who accuses Weinstein of assault, tweeted today that it is a strong day, and a huge step forward in their shared healing process.

Weinstein faces verdict of sexual harassment with up to 25 years imprisonment. He had also been convicted of third-degree rape-sexual intercourse without consent-which carries up to four years in prison.

Weinstein was convicted about the most serious charges by the jury of seven men and five women which brought a possible life sentence.

The jury foreman Bernard Cody was personally asked by the reporters outside the tribunal how the experience of a jury was for him and he only said that it was devastating. Cody refused to elaborate further.

In California, Weinstein also stands accused of sexual assault that were reported just several hours after his trial in New York to began on January 6 .Moreover, dozens of women brought civil proceedings against him.

'HELD ACCOUNTABLE'

Over 80 women, along with renowned actresses, had accused him over decades of sexual misconduct. He had denied the allegations and then said that all sexual relationships were consensual.

Sciorra, renowned from the "The Sopranos" television program, claimed that one night Weinstein forced his way home, assaulted her and forced oral sex on her. From the early 1990s, the allegation was too late to be prosecuted as a different offence.

Authorities depicted Weinstein as a sexual predator who had exploited women with offers to create opportunities in Hollywood, coaxing them into hotels or private residences, then overpowering and abusing them aggressively.

Under the statute, these "prior bad act" witnesses are allowed to display a pattern of violence in sex crime trials, and also to combat a defendant who claims the incidents were consensual, said Lisa Linsky, a former federal prosecutor for sex crimes.

The defense said guilt throughout the trial motivated the accusers to take consensual events and reframe them as crimes. Weinstein's lawyers zeroed in on warm communications and continued communication between Weinstein and the victims.

Attorneys pushed back on defense claims that its alleged victims were not credible and the notion that they were responsible for the alleged attacks.