INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
LOS ANGELES: Harvey Weinstein has been hit by new sex crimes in Los Angeles with raping one woman and sexually assaulting another.The
charges were announced on Monday when his high-profile trial in a separate case opened in New York on Monday , kicking off proceedings key
to the #MeToo movement.In the new case, the disgraced movie mogul is accused of assaulting the two women within a two-day period
He is alleged to have raped one woman after forcing his way into her hotel room on February 18, 2013
The next evening, he allegedly sexually assaulted a second woman at a hotel suite in Beverly Hills.Weintstein has repeatedly denied
wrongdoing and his attorney was not available for comment on Monday.Prosecutors filed four charges of forcible rape, forcible oral
copulation, sexual penetration by force, and sexual battery by restraint
Weinstein faces up to 28 years in prison if convicted."We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to
gain access to his victims and then commit violent crimes against them," Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement."I
want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them," she added
"It is my hope that all victims of sexual violence find strength and healing as they move forward."Earlier Monday, Weinstein entered the New
York state courthouse looking frail in a dark suit and using a walker, more than two years after a slew of allegations against him triggered
waves of outrage over pervasive sexual assault in the workplace, leading to the downfall of dozens of powerful men.Demonstrators anchored by
actresses Rose McGowan and Rosanna Arquette, two of Weinstein´s most prominent accusers, gathered outside the Manhattan court wielding
signs with slogans like "Justice for survivors.""Time´s up on sexual harassment in all work places," Arquette said
"Time´s up on empty apologies without consequences
And time´s up on the pervasive culture of silence that has enabled abusers like Weinstein."The first day in court was largely technical and
lasted just over an hour, with Justice James Burke rejecting a defense request that the jury be sequestered.Weinstein did not speak during
the hearing or to reporters outside
He is unlikely to testify during the trial.Almost 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, have accused the 67-year-old of
sexual misconduct since a media outlet detailed claims against him in October 2017.But Weinstein, once one of Hollywood´s most influential
figures, is being tried in New York on charges related to just two women, highlighting the difficulty of building cases around incidents
that took place years ago.Former production assistant Mimi Haleyi alleges that the "Pulp Fiction" producer forcibly performed oral sex on
her in his New York apartment in July 2006.The second alleged victim is anonymous
She says Weinstein, the co-founder of Miramax Films, raped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013.Weinstein has always maintained that
his sexual relationships were consensual.A conviction would signal a watershed moment in the #MeToo movement´s fight against sexual
harassment and abuse of power in Hollywood and beyond.On Monday, Sarah Ann Masse, an actress who says Weinstein sexually assaulted her when
she interviewed for a job as a nanny in 2008, voiced support for those testifying, sending them "so much strength and courage."His defense
team has been trying to undermine the allegations of the two New York accusers long before the start of the trial.TheIndianSubcontinent has
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