Harvey Weinstein jailed for 23 years in rape trial

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51840532

Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.

He was found guilty in a trial in New York last month, a dramatic fall from grace for one of Hollywood's most powerful figures.

The 67-year-old appeared in court on Wednesday. He was trying to create sympathy for himself by arriving in a wheelchair.

His lawyers had appealed for leniency, saying even the minimum sentence of five years could be a "life sentence".

But prosecutors argued Weinstein should be given the maximum possible sentence given his "lifetime of abuse" towards women and "lack of remorse" for his actions.

The two women he was convicted of assaulting both read out victim impact statements in court.

"It scarred me deeply, mentally and emotionally," Ms Haley, who is also known as Mimi Haleyi, said of the assault where Weinstein forced oral sex on her. "What he did not only stripped me of my dignity as a human being and a woman, but it crushed my confidence."

Ms Mann criticised Weinstein's lawyers for trying to "twist the truth" during the trial, and said she hoped for a future where "we no longer have to worry about monsters hiding in our closet".