CPS drops sexual assault case against Harvey Weinstein

Two criminal charges have been brought against the 72-year-old former Hollywood film producer in London for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman, now 50, in 1996.

On Thursday, Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS's Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division, said: “After reviewing the evidence in this case, the CPS has decided to discontinue criminal proceedings against Harvey Weinstein.

“The CPS has a duty to keep all cases under review on an ongoing basis and we have concluded that there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.

“We have explained our decision to all parties.

“We would always encourage potential victims of sexual assault to come forward and inform the police. We will prosecute perpetrators if our legal requirements are met.”

A statement from the Metropolitan Police at the time of the arrest said two offences were allegedly committed between 31 July and 31 August 1996.

The alleged victim, a woman, is now in her 50s.

Weinstein is serving a prison sentence in the United States after being convicted of rape and sexual misconduct in Los Angeles, stemming from a 2013 incident in which he showed up uninvited in a woman's hotel room during a Los Angeles film festival.

In February 2023, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

He is currently incarcerated at New York City's Rikers Island prison complex, awaiting a retrial in Manhattan after a 2020 rape conviction was overturned earlier this year by a majority decision of the New York Court of Appeals.

The decision states that “the court erroneously admitted testimony about alleged past sexual conduct that was not charged in the indictment and did not relate to the plaintiffs of the underlying offenses,” which constitutes “an abuse of judicial discretion.”

In July, Weinstein was hospitalized after being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs and Covid-19.

In 2020, the producer of hit films such as Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Gangs of New York and Shakespeare in Love was stripped of the honorary title CBE, which was awarded to him for his contribution to the British film industry.