Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. Photo / AP
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been rushed to hospital suffering chest pains after a "de facto life sentence" for rape.
The 67-year-old convicted rapist was sentenced yesterday to 23 years in prison for raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on TV and film production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. He faced a maximum of 29 years behind bars.
Weinstein was wheeled out to a Department of Corrections van for transportation to Rikers Island Jail Complex - where he was awaiting a transfer to a New York State prison. His victims and accusers, including actress Anabella Sciorra, hugged each other and wept as they realised justice had been served.
Weinstein reported chest pains later in the day at Rikers and was taken to a locked jail ward at Bellevue Hospital, a spokesperson said. Bellevue is known for its psychiatric facility, but it also serves as a hospital for jail inmates.
Weinstein's spokesman, Juda Englemayer, said on Thursday morning that the movie producer had suffered a "mild heart attack" after his court appearance, but later retracted that statement, saying he had been diagnosed with dangerously high blood pressure.
Weinstein previously spent time in Bellevue hospital after also complaining of chest pains while he was being transported to jail on remand for the first time, moments after he was convicted of the rape charges earlier this month.
Last week, doctors at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan performed a heart procedure, inserting a stent to alleviate a blockage.
He remained in the medical facility, where he spent time after conviction, as of Wednesday night local time.
Earlier that day, the Oscar-winning producer, wearing a navy blue suit, arrived handcuffed at the Manhattan court from Rikers Island jail in a wheelchair, as all six of his accusers who testified at his trial sat united in the front row.
Speaking in court moments before learning of his fate – and for the first time during his trial – Weinstein told his victims he had "great remorse" but showed little contrition.
"We may have different truths, but I have remorse for all of you and for all the men going through this crisis," he said, speaking more broadly about #MeToo accusations.
"The movement basically started with me … now there are thousands of men who are being accused."
A lot of news underlines how hard it is to hold wealthy and connected people accountable. Today’s shows the power of people who speak up, from a position of far less power, at great personal risk.
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) March 11, 2020
Weinstein said he "believed" he had a "serious friendship" with Haley and Mann and suggested his sexual encounters with them were consensual.
"I'm not going to say that these aren't great people," he said, before adding that he was "totally confused" by the charges.
"I've had wonderful times with these people.
"I can't stop looking at Jessica and Mimi and hoping something maybe from our old relationship could emerge."
Weinstein told the court he had "said bad things to people" but insisted there were "thousands of people who would say great things about [him]". He didn't appear to have a single family member in court to support him throughout his trial. At his sentencing, the rows of seats behind Weinstein remained largely empty.
BREAKING: Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for his February conviction of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.
— TIME'S UP (@TIMESUPNOW) March 11, 2020
The following is a statement from 24 #silencebreakers in response: pic.twitter.com/6LhmIhDaMz
Weinstein said he was "worried about this country in a sense" in relation to the #MeToo movement.
"I think men are confused about all of this … this feeling of thousands of men and women who are losing due process," he continued.
"This is not the right atmosphere in the United States of America."
'RAPE IS FOREVER'
The once powerful film producer also played down his influence on the industry.
"I had no great powers," he told the court.
Weinstein said he hadn't seen his "three older children since the New York Times [and] the New Yorker articles came out", referring to the original reports of his widespread abuse.
"That for me is hell on earth," he said.
"I may never see my children again."
"If I had to a lot of things over, I would care less about movies and more about my children and my family."
But New York Supreme Court Justice James Burke was unmoved and handed Weinstein a 20 year prison sentence for the felony attack on Haley and an additional three years for the rape of Mann.
"This is a first conviction, but it is not a first offence," Justice Burke said.
Once again, we stand with the brave women who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein and helped turn #MeToo into a global movement against sexual assault. Let's keep fighting for justice.
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) March 11, 2020
WEINSTEIN'S LAWYERS SLAM SENTENCE: 'OBNOXIOUS'
Speaking outside court after the sentencing, lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents three of the accusers, warned "confused" sexual predators to take heed of Weinstein's sentence of "20 plus three years".
"For all those who are still preying on women … and thinking you'll get away with it … that gamble is unlikely to pay off for you anymore," she said.
Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno described the "number handed down by the court" as "obscene" and "cowardly".
"Of course it's too harsh. It's ridiculous," she told reporters.
"That number was obnoxious.
"There are murderers who will get out of prison sooner.
"I am overcome with anger at that number … I think the judge caved … as I believed the jury caved."
She said "Harvey feels terrible" and "very sad" in response to the outcome.
"I'm happy that he spoke … he's been silent for years," she said.
Weinstein's legal team filed court documents late Monday claiming a prison term longer than the mandatory minimum would essentially be "a de facto life sentence" for their client.
The most serious charge carried a sentence of five to 25 years in prison and the second carried a minimum probationary period and a maximum four-year jail term.
"The grave reality is that Mr. Weinstein may not even outlive that term," the lawyers wrote in a letter to Justice Burke.
The lawyers also asked Burke to take into account that Weinstein's life was "destroyed" and that he had "lost everything".
"Mr Weinstein was constantly maligned by the media, having long since been convicted in the court of public opinion," the document read.
"His fall from grace has been historic, perhaps unmatched in the age of social media."
Another Weinstein lawyer, Arthur Aidala, previously told news.com.au his team will appeal the convictions which he described as "disappointing".
Rose McGowan addresses the media outside a New York court on day #1 of Harvey Weinstein’s trial @newscomauHQ @rosemcgowan pic.twitter.com/LOJsfX3iaX
— Megan Palin (@Megan_Palin) January 6, 2020
A torrent of allegations against Weinstein in October 2017 spawned the #MeToo movement.
In total, more than 100 women have accused the father-of-five of sexual misconduct dating back decades. Most of the accusers, who refer to themselves as "the Silence Breakers", weren't involved in his prosecution.
A total of six accusers testified as part of a prosecution effort to show he used the same tactics to victimise many others over the years.
In often emotional testimony stretching over three weeks, Weinstein's accusers described in explicit detail how he lured them to hotels in New York and Los Angeles on the pretence of promoting their acting careers before sexually assaulting them.
23 years. Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for his crimes of rape and sexual assault. I literally cried tears of amazement, gratitude that the justice system has worked on behalf of all of his victims today.
— Mira Sorvino (@MiraSorvino) March 11, 2020
Weinstein was convicted of first degree sexual assault and third degree rape on February 24.
The jury acquitted him of the most serious charges against him: two counts of predatory sexual assault, which required prosecutors to prove that he had committed a serious sexual assault against at least two women.
His trial was considered a watershed moment for the cause and has been watched closely by #MeToo activists, many of whom doubted for years that Weinstein's alleged mistreatment of women would ever result in legal action.
Weinstein is also scheduled to face trial in Los Angeles, where he is charged with raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in separate incidents in 2013. He has not yet entered a plea in that case.
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