Harvey Weinstein has been charged with rape and criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct involving two separate women, it has been confirmed. AP News reported that some of the charges relate to a woman who has not spoken publicly, and came forward with the incident which allegedly took place in 2004. The Hollywood mogul, who has been laying low after a New York Times exposé accused him of sexually assaulting several actresses, leading to dozens more sharing stories of their own encounters with him, turned himself in to the police in New York City on Friday. This is the first time he has been charged for the offence.
© Photo: Getty ImagesHarvey was led to court in handcuffs
The revelations surrounding Harvey sparked the '#MeToo' movement, which A-list stars supported to draw attention to and prevent sexual abuse and harassment. Following Harvey's exposé, prominent figures in the entertainment industry including Kevin Spacey, Louis CK and James Franco were accused of sexually exploitative behaviour. Jennifer Lawrence was among those to condemn Harvey for his actions. Speaking about the accusations on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, she said: "What he was did was criminal and deplorable and when it came out and I heard about it, I wanted to kill him. The way that he destroyed so many women's lives. I want to see him in jail."
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Harvey has always denied non-consensual sex, and released a statement following the New York Times exposé which read: "I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain and I sincerely apologise for it. My journey will not be to learn about myself and conquer my demons. I so respect all women and regret what happened. I cannot be more remorseful about the people I hurt and I plan to do right by all of them."
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