daniel chigunwe
NEW YORK. — Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has begged a court in New York to bring forward his retrial for sex crimes, citing his deteriorating health and conditions at the Rikers Island prison, which he called a “hell hole”.
At a court hearing at Manhattan’s Criminal Court on Wednesday, Judge Curtis Faber scheduled the disgraced Hollywood producer’s trial for 15 April.
Wearing a navy blue suit and in a wheelchair, Weinstein told the judge he might not live that long.
“I can’t hold on anymore. I’m holding on because I want justice for myself and I want this to be over with,” he said.
The 72-year-old has several medical conditions, including cancer and diabetes. In September, he was taken to hospital for heart surgery and has spent time in a secure hospital unit.
In court, he said every day was a struggle because of his health and that he was in “a serious emergency situation”.
His lawyers have previously complained that he is receiving substandard medical treatment in unhygienic conditions at the infamous facility, which officials plan to close.
Weinstein told the judge that the situation at Rikers was “medieval” and remained a stain on the city. He said just that morning, a new nurse had given him the wrong pills, which he caught at the last second.
Judge Faber said he was empathetic but had another murder trial before his.
“I’m begging the court to move your date so we can have that date instead and proceed with this trial as quickly as we can and get out of this hell hole,” Weinstein told him.
The judge agreed to consider moving the trial up by a week.
Weinstein’s landmark 2020 rape conviction was overturned by the New York court of appeals. It found he did not get a fair trial because women who were allegedly abused by Weinstein were allowed to testify against him despite not being a part of the charges.
It was a major blow to the MeToo movement, which launched after the bombshell allegations against the Oscar-winning producer in 2017.
The once untouchable Hollywood heavyweight is being retried on charges that he raped an aspiring actor Jessica Mann in 2013 and forcibly performed oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006. At the same time, he also faces a new sexual assault charge for allegedly forcing oral sex on a different woman at a Manhattan hotel in 2006. He denies any wrongdoing.
Judge Faber denied Weinstein’s bid to have the new charge dismissed.
Weinstein remains in custody because of a separate conviction for rape in California for which he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. — BBC.
