Guilty!

By Nikos Papanikolaou

Rapist Harvey Weinstein has been jailed after a New York jury found the former studio boss guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

Locals in the Holloway Road area welcomed the conviction.
“I think it’s fair. He made many women suffer, and that’s not ok. I’m happy that the jury made the right choice,” said Helene Andrews, 27, sales assistant.  

Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape in the case of Jessica Mann and first-degree criminal sexual assault in the case of Mimi Haleyi. He was cleared of the most serious charge: predatory sexual assault.
The New York jury, made up of five women and seven men, convicted Weinstein of up to 25 years in prison, according to the criminal sex act. A third-degree rape has a maximum sentence of four years, meaning that Weinstein could be in jail for the rest of his life – or get out in five years.

“Obviously he’s a monster and he deserves the conviction, but on the other hand no one forced these women to his room. I think there could be arguments from his side as well,” said Mohammad Shick, 43, estate agent.

Following the verdict, the judge remanded Weinstein into custody pending sentencing on March 11, rejecting the defence request to keep him out on bail.

“I’m genuinely happy. Many say that his conviction is not enough, but where were we three years ago? The fact that #MeToo movement made all these women to come forward gave a message to the world that it’s not okay to sexually abuse women and if you do that, there is punishment,” said Emily Jones, 19, economics student.

The investigation for Harvey Weinstein started after years of rumours and whispers about his behaviour. In 2017, the wave of the #MeToo movement revealed that many women suffered from his actions. The global movement also encouraged women and men to come forward and hold powerful people accountable for their sexual misconduct.

Weinstein was finally arrested in May 2018, seven months after The New York Times and The New Yorker exposed his alleged misconduct in stories that would win the Pulitzer Prize.