Content note: this article contains discussion of sexual assault and harassment that readers might find upsetting.

Following a second trial in Los Angeles, a jury has found Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape and two sexual assault charges.

Weinstein is already serving 23 years in jail after he was convicted of rape and sexual assault at his first trial in New York in 2020. His conviction was a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement, which had been calling out widespread sexual abuse and harassment in the film industry for several years.

More than 80 women have come forward with accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against Weinstein spanning several decades.

The latest verdict focused on allegations by four women stemming from 2005 and 2013, and the jury spent nine days deliberating on three charges of rape and four other sexual assault counts. The trial heard how Weinstein used his influence to lure women into private meetings before attacking them.

Weinstein was found guilty on Monday (19 December) of rape and two sexual assault charges involving an accuser, known as Jane Doe 1 to protect her anonymity. 

However, the jury could not reach verdicts on allegations by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and a woman known as Jane Doe 2. A mistrial was declared on those counts. Weinstein was also acquitted of sexual battery against an accuser known as Jane Doe 3.

Jane Doe 1, a Russian-born model and the trial’s first witness, testified that she was in Los Angeles for an Italian film festival in February 2013 when the producer arrived uninvited at her Beverly Hills hotel room and raped her.

She said after the verdict: “Harvey Weinstein forever destroyed a part of me that night in 2013 and I will never get that back.

“The criminal trial was brutal and Weinstein’s lawyers put me through hell on the witness stand, but I knew I had to see this through to the end, and I did.

“I hope Weinstein never sees the outside of a prison cell during his lifetime.”

The verdict marks the second time Weinstein has been found guilty of sex crimes. The jury in Weinstein’s criminal trial in New York arrived at a mixed verdict, convicting the former producer of rape in the third degree and sexual assault, but acquitting him of predatory sexual assault and first degree rape.

Weinstein, 70, now faces a maximum of 18 to 24 additional years in prison, and is expected to spend the rest of his life incarcerated, no matter the outcome of his current appeal of his conviction in New York.

If you, or anyone you know, needs help and support, you can call the Rape Crisis rape and sexual abuse helpline on 0808 500 2222 (open 24 hours a day, every day of the year). You can also find your nearest centre or visit the website for more information. 

Images: Getty