UK prosecutors drop sex charges against Harvey Weinstein

Following a review of the evidence in the case of two counts of indecent assault, criminal proceedings have been discontinued

British prosecutors have dropped sex charges against the disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein dating back almost 30 years.
In June 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge the 72-year-old US national with two counts of indecent assault.
The alleged assaults were said to have taken place in London in August 1996 and involved one complainant.
But following a review of the evidence in the case the CPS has now announced it has decided to discontinue criminal proceedings.
In a statement announcing the decision, Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “The CPS has a duty to keep all cases under continuous review and we have decided that there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.
“We have explained our decision to all parties. We would always encourage any potential victims of sexual assault to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met.”
Scotland Yard launched an investigation into Weinstein following a number of allegations that were made about him in the UK relating to seven separate women.
Despite being charged by the CPS, it was not clear he was ever likely to stand trial in the UK given his US convictions.
Weinstein and brother Bob Weinstein founded Miramax in 1979 and sold it to Disney in 1993.
They continued to work for the firm until 2005 when they set up the Weinstein Company, which spawned hits including The King’s Speech, Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook.
Weinstein was one of Hollywood’s most powerful figures until he became the subject of a string of sexual abuse claims.
In 2004 he was made an honorary CBE for his contribution to the British film industry.
Police began investigating the film producer in 2017 after a number of women came forward in the United States and the UK to make a series of sexual abuse allegations against him.
Weinstein was charged with rape in New York in May 2018 and was convicted in February 2020 later being sentenced to 23 years in prison.
In 2021, he was extradited to California where he was found guilty of further sex charges and was sentenced to 16 years.
His New York convictions were overturned earlier this year and he is facing a re-trial on those counts but remains in prison for the Californian convictions.