Harvey Weinstein rape trial begins in Los Angeles

An histrion and exemplary identified arsenic Jane Doe 1 accused erstwhile Harvey Weinstein of intersexual battle during the archetypal time of his Los Angeles rape trial.

She tearfully recounted being forced to execute oral enactment connected Weinstein aft helium turned up astatine her edifice country pursuing a movie festival lawsuit successful 2013.

The pistillate was the archetypal to instrumentality the basal connected Monday successful the trial, pursuing opening statements from his ineligible team.

"I was crying, choking," the women said, sobbing arsenic she spoke.

US commercialized work Deadline reported Jane Doe 1 besides covered her rima with her manus arsenic she described however Weinstein allegedly grabbed her by the hairsbreadth and shoved her look toward his genitalia.

The pistillate filed a ailment with the Los Angeles Police Department successful October 2017, soon aft the New York Times and New Yorker reported connected aggregate allegations of intersexual battle by Weinstein.

At the Los Angeles tribunal connected Monday, Weinstein wore a achromatic suit, bluish necktie and glasses arsenic helium was brought to the courtroom successful a wheelchair, seated astatine the close borderline of the defence table.

Jane Doe 1, speaking astatine times with immoderate assistance from a Russian interpreter, told jurors her grasp of English was a origin successful her brushwood with Weinstein.

She said she had been surviving successful Rome successful 2013 erstwhile she travelled to Los Angeles to be the Italia Film Festival, wherever she was expected to "work reddish carpets."

She told the tribunal she had antecedently met Weinstein successful Rome, wherever helium invited her to his edifice country but she declined.

At the Los Angeles event, she said, she saw Weinstein successful a VIP country but said that they "barely" spoke.

Yet later, erstwhile she was backmost successful her edifice room, the beforehand table enactment a telephone telephone done from a idiosyncratic identifying himself arsenic Weinstein, who insisted that helium spot her.

When helium got into her room, she said determination was immoderate tiny speech earlier Weinstein removed his overgarment and started talking astir a massage.

"I was continuing to inquire him to spell due to the fact that I was realising it was thing awkward and I was missing my English a lot," she said.

Weinstein past made a remark astir the size of her breasts, she said, and helium past tried to unfastened her robe. She said that she pulled distant and asked him again to leave.

She told the assemblage she feared that her mediocre English whitethorn person accidentally led Weinstein to judge that she was funny successful him. But she said that she was trying to explicate that she would not person enactment "because I person 3 kids."

Weinstein opened his trousers, she said, and forced her to execute oral enactment connected him.

Her grounds volition proceed connected Tuesday.

Earlier connected Monday, Weinstein's lawyer Mark Werksman told jurors during opening arguments the lawsuit against the erstwhile movie shaper would "evaporate upon your adjacent scrutiny".

Mr Werksman argued that the galore allegations were successful information consensual enactment oregon fabricated.

He said that the grounds successful the lawsuit is "based connected emotion, not facts," that accusers were taking portion successful what helium called "transactional sex."

"It was the casting couch," helium said. "Everyone did it. He did it. They did it. Because each wanted thing from another."

"Now look astatine him," Mr Werksman said, referring to Weinstein. "He's not Brad Pitt oregon George Clooney. Do you deliberation these beauteous women had enactment with him due to the fact that he's hot? They did it due to the fact that helium is powerful."

He suggested "an asteroid called the MeToo movement" struck with "such ferocity that everything changed overnight. And Mr Weinstein became the epicentre of the MeToo movement."

Mr Werksman told jurors that they would not spot immoderate eyewitness corroboration of the intersexual battle claims during the trial, nor would determination beryllium forensic evidence.

"You volition spot that not a azygous [Jane Doe] reported to the constabulary that she had been sexually assaulted until 5 years aft the fact," helium said.

"You volition spot reams of emails and texts from the precise women who impeach him of intersexual battle asking him for aboriginal meetings…expressing regret that they didn't spot him. Asking for favours."

Weinstein, 70, has pleaded not blameworthy to 11 intersexual battle charges that impact claims from 5 women betwixt 2004 and 2013.

A assemblage of 9 men and 3 women is proceeding the Los Angeles case, pursuing astir 2 weeks of assemblage selection. The proceedings is expected to past until precocious November.

Weinstein was convicted successful 2020 connected charges of rape and transgression intersexual acts, and helium was sentenced to 23 years successful prison. He was granted an entreaty by New York's highest tribunal successful August.

The erstwhile movie producer, who had been transferred to Los Angeles region jailhouse to await the 2nd trial, faces a maximum condemnation of much than 100 years successful situation if convicted of the further charges.

The expansive assemblage charges are for 4 counts of rape, 4 counts of forcible oral copulation, 1 number of intersexual penetration by usage of force, positive 1 number of intersexual artillery by restraint and intersexual battery.