Entertainment industry sex trial: Weinstein connection to accused revealed to jury

An entertainment industry veteran charged with sexually assaulting three women at post-project wrap parties was working on a Harvey Weinstein production when one of the alleged incidents happened.

Details emerged in court yesterday of the connection to the disgraced Hollywood filmmaker as the defence team called witnesses to give evidence in support of the alleged repeat sex offender.

The man is on trial in the Auckland District Court before Judge Russell Collins and a jury.

He is facing a charge of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and five of indecent assault.

The man vehemently denies the charges.

A video of his interview with police showed him repeating that the allegations are "simply not true" and "100 per cent not true".

An interim suppression order prevents the Herald from publishing the man's name or specific details of the work he does in the industry.

However‌, ‌it‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌reported‌ ‌that‌ ‌he‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌involved‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌number‌ ‌of‌ ‌high-profile‌ ‌film‌ ‌and‌ ‌television‌ ‌projects‌ ‌in‌ ‌New‌ ‌Zealand‌ ‌and‌ ‌around‌ ‌the‌ ‌world.‌ ‌

Defence lawyer Marie Dyhrberg QC said the man "absolutely denies" any offending.

Witnesses called to give evidence in support of the man spoke of his link to Weinstein.

The link was discussed twice in front of the jury in open court.

One witness revealed that the alleged assault of one of the women happened during the production of a project that was connected to Weinstein.

Another witness said a different project he worked on with the accused was "a Weinstein Corporation" production.

The Herald cannot publish any further detail about the specific projects as it may identify the accused.

Weinstein is currently on trial in New York for rape and sexual assault allegations.

Hours after that trial began prosecutors in Los Angeles unveiled fresh charges against Weinstein.

He is now facing a second trial in California on felony charges of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint.

Weinstein faces up to 28 years in prison if convicted.

The Weinstein scandal broke inn 2017 when the New York Times published a story detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against the movie mogul.

Actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among the women who initially come forward.

Since then dozens more women have spoken out including A-Listers Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie who allege they too they were harassed by Weinstein.

The accusations sparked an upsurge in the worldwide #MeToo movement - against sexual harassment and assault.

In the Auckland District Court defence counsel Marie Dyhrberg QC told the jury that several of the complainants in the accused's case were aware of the current climate around the movement and had "fabricated" their allegations to destroy his reputation and career.

She put to them that they colluded to bring the accused down and ruin his position in the industry in response to being denied work with his company.

She said the timing of the allegations - around the time the MeToo movement was ramping up - was indicative of that.

A witness who has been in the entertainment industry for several decades told the jury that court proceedings such as the trial would make it near impossible for someone like the accused to get work.

"It's difficult to quantify but in my opinion there is very little or no chance that you would be offered work," he said.

"Studios are very risk averse - they want to do the right thing and be seen to do the right thing."

He said people like him who ran teams of staff had a "moral and ethical" responsibility around employee safety.

"I don't see any capacity to make an allowance for that kind of risk," he said.

The defence case continues and the jury will hear from a number of people today.

Yesterday Dyhrberg urged the jury to remember that her client was innocent until proven guilty - and the only way they could find him guilty was on the evidence they heard in court.

"All a charge is is the mechanism to bring [the accused] here into this courtroom to answer allegations made - it is no more than that.

"He is just here to answer those charges."

Dyhrberg said neither she nor the Crown had to prove motive.

"That does not stop the defendant coming to you and saying look, they have lied about this, they have made this up - I can't solve the mystery but this is what I think it's about and this is what I think is why.

"So that's where motive is going to fit into the scheme of things.

"As I've said to you from the beginning [the second and third complaints] have fabricated."

The first complainant gave evidence on Monday, alleging she woke on the couch of the man's motel room after a wrap party to find him with his hand down her pants touching her genitals.

The jury heard from the second complainant.

She says he rubbed her upper thigh at a similar party and told her "if you look after me, I'll look after you".

She was also present when the third alleged assault happened, staying on to work for the man despite her own experience in a bid to prevent him targeting others.

The third complainant said the man groped her repeatedly at a gathering and then followed her to her room and tried to get in when she fled.

The trial continues.