Hollywood mogul Weinstein appears in NY court for sex crime trial

Hollywood magnate Harvey Weinstein appeared in a court here on Monday, marking the start of his long-awaited sex crime trial.

Weinstein, 67, hobbled into and out of the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, leaning on a walker following a recent back surgery.

The film producer faces five charges from two women. He allegedly raped one woman in a Midtown Manhattan hotel in March 2013 and performed a forcible sex act on another woman at his apartment in Manhattan in 2006.

If he were convicted of predatory sexual assault, Weinstein would face life in prison.
The Hollywood heavyweight has been involved in some 80 allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct since investigative reports about his alleged sexual abuse were published on several mainstream media outlets in 2017.

Outside the courthouse, a group of Weinstein’s accusers waved signs demanding accountability for him.

“As we stand here at the beginning of a new year and a new decade, time’s up on sexual harassment in all workplaces,” said actress Rosanna Arquette, one of the accusers.