The allegations of sexual assault and harassment against famed producer Harvey Weinstein continue to mount as more alleged victims come forward. Dozens of women have detailed decades of abuse since The New York Times and The New Yorker first published their bombshell reports. Weinstein has since been fired from his former company, but the NYT revealed they knew about his private settlements with accusers as early as 2015. Weinstein's wife, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, also announced that she is leaving the disgraced film producer.
TMZ and the New York Daily News have published reports that Weinstein is fleeing to Europe and suicidal, respectively. There are also reports that Weinstein is seeking treatment for sex addiction and is spending several weeks of in-patient treatment at an Arizona head spa, before journeying for the final stages to a second facility in Europe. If he is indeed heading overseas, his legal troubles aren't far behind him.
According to ABC News, London's Metropolitan Police are looking into an alleged incident of sexual assault that the victim claims occurred in the 1980s.
"[We] can confirm the Met have been passed an allegation of sexual assault by Merseyside Police today," the Metropolitan Police in London told ABC News late Wednesday. Police added that the individual came forward earlier that day. "The allegation will be assessed by officers from Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the New York Police Department has opened a criminal investigation in Weinstein also. “Based on information referenced in published news reports,” a spokesperson told the outlet, “the NYPD is conducting a review to determine if there are any additional complaints relating to the Harvey Weinstein matter. No filed complaints have been identified as of this time.”
The NYPD confirmed that it previously looked into a claim from model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez in 2015, which included an audio recording of Weinstein admitting to groping her breasts, but the Manhattan District Attorney's Office decided not to file charges after a two-week investigation.
ADA Karen Friedman Agnifilo explained in a statement Tuesday, “The seasoned prosecutors in our Sex Crimes Unit were not afforded the opportunity before the meeting to counsel investigators on what was necessary to capture in order to prove a misdemeanor sex crime. While the recording is horrifying to listen to, what emerged from the audio was insufficient to prove a crime under New York law, which requires prosecutors to establish criminal intent.”
Weinstein maintains that any sexual acts that occurred were consensual.
Source: uproxx.com
