New York (AFP) – Disgraced Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein asked a court Wednesday to bring forward his retrial for sex offenses, arguing that his “hellhole” prison conditions were unbearable, US media reported. Weinstein, 72, looked frail as he appeared in a Manhattan courtroom for a hearing ahead of his retrial for rape and sexual assault that follows last year’s overturn of his 2020 convictions on legal grounds. The judge has set the date of his retrial for April 15 and declined to move proceedings.
The former movie mogul, who is in poor health and underwent emergency heart surgery last year, told the court he was unsure “how much longer I can hold on,” People magazine reported. Weinstein is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted on separate rape charges in California. His New York conviction in 2020 was for the rape and sexual assault of an actress and of forcibly performing oral sex on a production assistant. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison in that case. The New York Court of Appeals, however, overturned that conviction.
Allegations against Weinstein helped launch the #MeToo movement in 2017, a watershed moment for women fighting sexual misconduct. More than 80 women accused him of harassment, sexual assault, or rape, including prominent actors Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ashley Judd. Weinstein claimed any sexual relations in question were consensual.
Weinstein and his brother Bob co-founded Miramax Films. Their hits included 1994’s “Pulp Fiction” and 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” for which Weinstein shared a best picture Oscar.
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