'I don't deserve it': Weinstein begs for mercy as he is jailed for another 16 years

Disgraced Hollywood shaper Harvey Weinstein begged "please don't condemnation maine to beingness successful prison, I don't merit it" arsenic helium was jailed for different 16 years for rape and intersexual assault.

Weinstein, 70, volition service the jailhouse word aft completing his 23-year-sentence for a intersexual misconduct condemnation successful New York successful 2020.

It is truthful highly imaginable helium volition walk the remainder of his beingness successful prison.

Weinstein begged for leniency arsenic helium was handed the latest condemnation successful a Los Angeles tribunal today.

He was sentenced for the rape of an actress, named lone successful tribunal arsenic Jane Doe 1, astatine a edifice successful Los Angeles successful 2013.

A assemblage recovered him blameworthy successful December of rape, forcible oral copulation and intersexual penetration by a overseas object.

Weinstein said: "This is simply a made up story. Jane Doe 1 is an actress. She tin crook the tears on.

"Please don't condemnation maine to beingness successful prison. I don't merit it. There are truthful galore things incorrect with this case.

"There are excessively galore loopholes. Too galore things incorrect with this case.

"This is simply a set-up. This is not the mode to enactment successful this situation."

He yet added: "I beg your mercy."

A lawyer for 1 of the victims said afterwards that Weinstein volition present walk the remainder of his beingness successful situation "where helium belongs".

Weinstein, erstwhile 1 of the astir almighty figures successful Hollywood, has said each of his intersexual encounters had been consensual, and helium pleaded not blameworthy successful the Los Angeles case.

Prosecutors called for a "high-term" punishment of 24 years due to the fact that of the anterior conviction, alternatively than a "mid-term" condemnation of 18 years that California instrumentality would different prescribe.

Louisette Geiss, 1 of Weinstein's accusers, said aft the verdict: "While I americium disappointed that Judge Lench did not condemnation Harvey Weinstein to the maximum of 18 years, nary magnitude of clip successful jailhouse volition erase the harm Weinstein has caused to the lives and careers of his survivors, including me."

Weinstein's squad opposed the territory attorney's proposal for a high-term, consecutive sentence, fixed Weinstein's "advanced property and deteriorating health".

A spokesperson for Weinstein said aft the verdict: "It's a cruel sentence, fixed his age, his wellness and the conditions of his condemnation successful Los Angeles, erstwhile the sole complaint was from a idiosyncratic who lied, with the justice and authoritative good alert of it and permitting it, astir captious elements of her ain claim. It's not justice, but a heap connected for a antheral galore radical conscionable decided should beryllium formed disconnected and discarded careless of facts."

The assemblage acquitted Weinstein of charges relating to a 2nd alleged unfortunate and failed to scope a unanimous verdict connected charges arising from 2 different accusers.

One of them, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, present the woman of California Governor Gavin Newsom, had disclosed she was the alleged rape unfortunate referred to successful tribunal records arsenic Jane Doe 4.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench declared a mistrial connected the deadlocked charges.

Defence attorneys argued that the women willingly had enactment with Weinstein due to the fact that they believed helium would beforehand their careers, portion of what they said was a wide "casting couch" civilization successful the movie industry.

In 2 of the cases, they said the alleged intersexual interaction was fabricated.

Weinstein was convicted of intersexual misconduct successful New York successful February 2020.

He was extradited from New York to Los Angeles situation successful July 2021.

Weinstein is appealing the New York condemnation and situation sentence.

Allegations against Weinstein helped substance the #MeToo movement, which has encouraged women to talk retired astir intersexual harassment and maltreatment by almighty men successful definite industries.

The movement, which went viral connected societal media successful 2017, seeks to interruption a civilization of soundlessness that has agelong allowed specified behaviour to spell unchallenged.