Rapist Harvey Weinstein led away in handcuffs after guilty verdicts

Harvey Weinstein has limped from a New York court to begin his new life as a jailed sex offender.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday to hear the verdict. Picture: Reuters

Shackled by handcuffs, Harvey Weinstein has limped from a New York court to begin his new life as a jailed sex offender after a landmark conviction celebrated by his victims and by the #MeToo movement that grew from his crimes.

The 67-year-old may never see freedom again as he faces between five and 29 years in jail after being found guilty of criminal sex acts in a trial watched around the world.

Weinstein was supposed to be transferred to the jail on Rikers ­Island on Tuesday, but was diverted to the Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after complaining of chest pains.

The verdict caps a spectacular fall for the once powerful Hollywood producer after more than 75 women came forward to claim he had sexually abused them.

A jury in New York convicted Weinstein on two counts of rape and sexual assault, including forcing oral sex on former production assistant Miriam Haley at her apartment in 2006 and the rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann at a hotel in 2013.

Jurors found Weinstein guilty of criminal sexual assault in the first degree with Ms Haley and rape in the third degree with Ms Mann.

Weinstein faces between five and 25 years in jail on the first charge and up to four years on the second. He also faces a separate trial in Los Angeles, where he is charged with raping one woman and sexually assaulting another over two days in 2013.

But the jury in New York acquitt­ed Weinstein on three other counts, including the most serious charges of predatory sexual­ assault, which would have carried a potential life sentence.

Weinstein, who attended court on a walker, stared straight ahead as the verdict was read and did not betray any emotion but he later told his legal team: “I’m innocent. I’m innocent. I’m innocent. How could this happen in America?”

The judge remanded Weinstein in custody and he was led away in handcuffs to a jail cell as he awaits sentencing on March 11.

Annabella Sciorra arrives to give evidence last month. Picture: AFP

“This is the new landscape for survivors of sexual assault in America and this is a new day,” said Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance. “I hope women will understand the significance of the jury verdict today.

“Weinstein is a vicious serial sexual predator who used his power to threaten, rape, assault, trick, humil­iate and silence his victims.”

Time’s Up, which advocates for gender equity in the workplace, said the verdict “marks a new era of justice”. “This trial, and the jury’s decision today, marks a new era of justice, not just for the Silence­ Breakers, who spoke out at great personal risk, but for all survivors of harassment, abuse, and assault at work,” said Time’s Up Foundation president Tina Tchen.

Tarana Burke, the creator of the #MeToo movement, said: “Harvey Weinstein operated with impunity and without remorse for decades in Hollywood. Yet it still took years, and millions of voices raised, for one man to be held accoun­table by the justice system.

“This case reminds us that sexual violence thrives on unchecked power and privilege. The implic­ations reverberate far beyond Hollywood and into the daily lives of all of us in the rest of the world.”

Jessica Mann arrives to give evidence last month. Picture: AFP

Defence lawyer Donna Rotunno said Weinstein’s team would appeal­. “Harvey is very strong … unbelievably strong,’’ she said. “He took it like a man. He knows that we will continue to fight for him, and we know that this is not over.”

The jury of seven men and five women took five days to reach a verdict in the case that sparked a reckoning in relation to sexual assault against women by powerful men. Many of the young actresses who accused Weinstein of sexual assault said he took advantage of them knowing that he was a prod­ucer who could make or break their careers. He produced movies such as Shakespeare in Love, Pulp Fiction and The Crying Game.

Weinstein claims all his sexual encounters were consensual. The prosecution’s case was complic­ated by the fact that Ms Haley and Ms Mann admitted they continued to see Weinstein for consensual sex after the ­assaults took place.

Miriam Haley goes public with lawyer Gloria Allred in New York in 2017. Picture: Getty Images

During the trial, judge James Burke allowed testimony from four other women who said they had also been sexually assaulted by Weinstein but whose attacks were too old to press legal charges.

Announcing the new charges in Los Angeles in January, district attorney Jackie Lacey alleged Weinstein had raped a woman after forcing his way into her hotel room on February 18, 2013. She said he had been charged with one felony count each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint. The Los Angeles charges carry a maximum sentence of 28 years in jail.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia