Film director Roman Polanski ‘cannot be extradited to US’

[webfact]

Film director Roman Polanski ‘cannot be extradited to US’

Chris Harris

 

 

WARSAW: -- Filmmaker Roman Polanski cannot be extradited to the US over a 1977 child sex conviction, Poland’s supreme court has ruled.

 

The United States had requested the Oscar-winning director’s extradition from Poland after he made a high-profile appearance in Warsaw in 2014.

 

A Polish district court rejected the request, which has now been upheld by the country’s supreme court.

 

Polanski, 83, fled the US ahead of sentencing in 1978, after having admitted unlawful sex with a minor.

 

Polanski has French and Polish citizenship. He lives in France, which does not extradite its citizens. He had been working on a film project in Poland.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-12-07

 

 

[BuaBS]

1977 !!! Jeeze !

We're nearly in 2017 . Lighten up already !

Yet Cosby is still free ...

Edited December 7, 2016 by BuaBS

[humqdpf]

Polanski plea-bargained to a charge of unlawful intercourse with a minor - no mention of any conviction regarding drugging the victim. He was never convicted of drugging and raping anyone.

 

During a television interview on 10 March 2011, now much older, Geimer (the victim  blamed the media, reporters, the court, and the judge for causing "way more damage to [her] and [her] family than anything Roman Polanski has ever done", and opined that the judge was using her and Polanski for the media exposure.

 

Polanski had originally agreed to a plea-bargain and time-served of 42 days in jail but the judge messed up the case so badly that there is no way Polanski could have been sentenced to prison subsequently anyway.

 

Geimer sued Polanski but never alleged that she was intentionally drugged.

 

I am not advocating what was alleged (e.g. having sexual intercourse with an underage girl) but just pointing out that the man never was tried in court and plea-bargained to a much lesser charge, which innocent people do every day just so as not to have to deal with the whole court thing. The fact that the plea-bargain was offered on those conditions (time already spent in jail = 42 days) indicates that the prosecution did not have much to go on.

 

I have sympathy for Polanski to the extent that he was vilified even though never convicted of anything except what he agreed to plea under pressure. It is noticeable that unlike your typical pedophile, Polanski was never investigated for any underage sex before this incident or afterwards. Never even convicted of any other sexual offence. I also feel sympathy for Polanski because his pregnant wife was killed before the incident by Charles Manson's "Family" before this episode with Geimer and he was allegedly very drugged out as a result during that time.

Edited December 7, 2016 by ubonjoe
removed quote of a removed post

[GOLDBUGGY]

Well you almost got it right. 

 

He pleaded guilty based only on a Plea Bargain, in which it was all agreed he was not going to serve anymore jail time then he already served. But at the last moment a new Prosecutor decided to withdraw the Plea Bargain for no good reason, other than trying to make a name for himself. The Judge who originally agreed to it had also died. 

 

When that happened Polanski tried to withdraw his guilty plea also, since it was based on this deal, but they wouldn't let him do that. They knew that the changes of finding him guilty in court was low. So they promised him a Plea Bargain if he pleaded guilty first, and then tore that up after he did. But still tried to use his guilty plea. Not really fare in my books. 

 

I know what Polanski did was very wrong, and he does to. But what the Judge and Prosecution did was not right also. Many a guilty plea comes from Plea Bargains and to keep the integrity of that they need to follow through with them. If Polanski wasn't such a high profile person, this would not have even made the news in any newspaper and the Plea Bargain would have gone through.  IMHO.    

[ubonjoe]

A off topic post and the expected replies to it have been removed, Stay on topic,

[leggo]

Whatever the ifs and ands in this story the fact is the guy was a paedophile and I have absolute no sympathy for him and contrary to the above comments these are the facts.

 

In March 1977, film director Roman Polanski was arrested and charged in Los Angeles with five offenses against Samantha Gailey a 13-year-old girl^] – rape by use of drugs, perversion, sodomy, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.

Geimer testified that Polanski provided champagne that they shared as well as part of a quaalude, and despite her protests, he performed oral, vaginal, and anal sex acts upon her, each time after being told 'no' and being asked to stop.

If that is not enough to put a nasty revolting man in prison God knows what it is.

[Ulysses G.]

4 hours ago, humqdpf said:

Polanski plea-bargained to a charge of unlawful intercourse with a minor - no mention of any conviction regarding drugging the victim. He was never convicted of drugging and raping anyone.

 

During a television interview on 10 March 2011, now much older, Geimer (the victim  blamed the media, reporters, the court, and the judge for causing "way more damage to [her] and [her] family than anything Roman Polanski has ever done", and opined that the judge was using her and Polanski for the media exposure.

 

Polanski had originally agreed to a plea-bargain and time-served of 42 days in jail but the judge messed up the case so badly that there is no way Polanski could have been sentenced to prison subsequently anyway.

 

Geimer sued Polanski but never alleged that she was intentionally drugged.

 

I am not advocating what was alleged (e.g. having sexual intercourse with an underage girl) but just pointing out that the man never was tried in court and plea-bargained to a much lesser charge, which innocent people do every day just so as not to have to deal with the whole court thing. The fact that the plea-bargain was offered on those conditions (time already spent in jail = 42 days) indicates that the prosecution did not have much to go on.

 

I have sympathy for Polanski to the extent that he was vilified even though never convicted of anything except what he agreed to plea under pressure. It is noticeable that unlike your typical pedophile, Polanski was never investigated for any underage sex before this incident or afterwards. Never even convicted of any other sexual offence. I also feel sympathy for Polanski because his pregnant wife was killed before the incident by Charles Manson's "Family" before this episode with Geimer and he was allegedly very drugged out as a result during that time.

 

Good, fair assessment of what happened. His victim had forgiven him, says good things about him and does not want to see him extradited. 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3298694/Roman-Polanski-s-victim-child-rape-charges-said-pleased-Polish-court-rejected-extradition-request-U-S.html

[Langsuan Man]

Sort of refreshing to hear a story about a hi so that is not above the law

 

As far as the telling of the story goes,  the poster forgot one major point, and that was that Polanski skipped out on bail and there is no statute of limitations on bail jumping

 

And unlike Thailand the US legal system is based upon the concept that "society" was harmed by his actions, the victim, unfortunately is of minor importance, and what she wants years later means very little  

[Grubster]

21 hours ago, humqdpf said:

Polanski plea-bargained to a charge of unlawful intercourse with a minor - no mention of any conviction regarding drugging the victim. He was never convicted of drugging and raping anyone.

 

During a television interview on 10 March 2011, now much older, Geimer (the victim  blamed the media, reporters, the court, and the judge for causing "way more damage to [her] and [her] family than anything Roman Polanski has ever done", and opined that the judge was using her and Polanski for the media exposure.

 

Polanski had originally agreed to a plea-bargain and time-served of 42 days in jail but the judge messed up the case so badly that there is no way Polanski could have been sentenced to prison subsequently anyway.

 

Geimer sued Polanski but never alleged that she was intentionally drugged.

 

I am not advocating what was alleged (e.g. having sexual intercourse with an underage girl) but just pointing out that the man never was tried in court and plea-bargained to a much lesser charge, which innocent people do every day just so as not to have to deal with the whole court thing. The fact that the plea-bargain was offered on those conditions (time already spent in jail = 42 days) indicates that the prosecution did not have much to go on.

 

I have sympathy for Polanski to the extent that he was vilified even though never convicted of anything except what he agreed to plea under pressure. It is noticeable that unlike your typical pedophile, Polanski was never investigated for any underage sex before this incident or afterwards. Never even convicted of any other sexual offence. I also feel sympathy for Polanski because his pregnant wife was killed before the incident by Charles Manson's "Family" before this episode with Geimer and he was allegedly very drugged out as a result during that time.

No they never have much to go on when they allow a civil suit before the Criminal suit as the star witness being the girl has just been paid off to not testify against him.  Strange this US system. I think that no civil suit should be legal to file until after guilt was established.

[Baerboxer]

He doesn't deny having inappropriate sexual relations with a 13 year old girl. 

 

If the plea bargaining was screwed up by the death of a judge, and a new prosecutor not abiding by the deal then he should have gone to trial.

 

France and Poland are tacitly condoning his actions by their refusal to extradite, refusal to prosecute themselves and sweeping it under the carper as it all happened so long ago to such a rich and famous citizen.

 

Just another rich man avoiding the law. 

 

And no, what happened to his wife, whilst very lamentable, and being drugged up doesn't give him the right to violate a 13 year old child just because he happens to be a rich, famous Hollywood celebrity.

 

He is no different to Cosby, Harris, or Saville. All thought wealth and fame would protect them. Only they didn't run to a country that protects them. 

[dick dasterdly]

18 hours ago, leggo said:

Whatever the ifs and ands in this story the fact is the guy was a paedophile and I have absolute no sympathy for him and contrary to the above comments these are the facts.

 

In March 1977, film director Roman Polanski was arrested and charged in Los Angeles with five offenses against Samantha Gailey a 13-year-old girl^] – rape by use of drugs, perversion, sodomy, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.

Geimer testified that Polanski provided champagne that they shared as well as part of a quaalude, and despite her protests, he performed oral, vaginal, and anal sex acts upon her, each time after being told 'no' and being asked to stop.

If that is not enough to put a nasty revolting man in prison God knows what it is.

No idea whether that is true - but there is no doubt that he likes young girls and is convicted for having sex with an underage girl, which is why he fled the country.

 

Of course the underage girl that resulted in him being convicted, doesn't care as she was happy to have sex to promote her career.  Which is why I've no strong opinions on the matter unless leggo's claims are correct.

 

Assuming leggo's claims are incorrect - then his 'sentence' sounds about right to me - a perv had to flee and is unable to get back to his own country.

[Humberstone]

Polanski lost his parents during the holocaust at a very young age and then a young wife and unborn child to sadistic murderers. That must be a terrible amount of pain and grief to carry. However, he is also guilty of statutory rape (I know that this was changed to a lesser charge in a plea deal). You can have sympathy for Polanski and also condemnation for a terrible crime for which justice has never been truly served.

 

From the account of the victim she was drugged, plied with alcohol and raped - there's no other word for it. There was, to answer some of the comments above, plenty of evidence to confirm all of this including that of Angelica Houston, who was in the house when some of the assault occurred and confirmed this to the police.   

 

[leggo]

On 12/8/2016 at 3:54 PM, dick dasterdly said:

No idea whether that is true - but there is no doubt that he likes young girls and is convicted for having sex with an underage girl, which is why he fled the country.

 

Of course the underage girl that resulted in him being convicted, doesn't care as she was happy to have sex to promote her career.  Which is why I've no strong opinions on the matter unless leggo's claims are correct.

 

Assuming leggo's claims are incorrect - then his 'sentence' sounds about right to me - a perv had to flee and is unable to get back to his own country.

My claims were taken from the court files that were published in the media at the time in the US -That of course does not make them absolutely water tight but as it was a very high profile case one would presume that all the media in California were not lying all at the same time!!!!

[Credo]

Some crimes are considered to be crimes against the state.   In the case of sex with an underage child, it is not just considered a crime if the victim decides it's a crime, it is a crime against the state and will be pursued regardless of the wishes of the victim.   The same is true of child abuse.   Just because a child doesn't want their mother or father to get in trouble, some behavior is illegal.

 

Polanski will be on the radar for as long as he lives for his behavior.    I just hope that the US doesn't spend much time or energy pursuing this issue.   Certainly it does not appear to rise to level of interfering with more important matters to get this guy.   

 

He should be left alone unless he steps foot in the US, which is pretty unlikely.   

[The manic]

it was always a nonsense bust. 

[Langsuan Man]

8 hours ago, The manic said:

it was always a nonsense bust. 

 

I wonder if you would feel that way if it were your daughter or other relative