Polanski's 1977 rape victim to attend LA court in bid to end case

[webfact]

Polanski's 1977 rape victim to attend LA court in bid to end case

By Jill Serjeant

 

70th Cannes Film Festival - Photocall for the film "Based on a True Story" (D'apres une histoire vraie) out of competition - Cannes, France. 27/05/2017. Director Roman Polanski poses. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The woman whom fugitive movie director Roman Polanski admitted he raped 40 years ago will attend a court hearing in Los Angeles on Friday where she hopes to plead for an end to the case, Polanski's attorney said.

 

Samantha Geimer was 13 years old when Polanski assaulted her in Los Angeles in 1977. In recent years, she has said repeatedly that she has forgiven Polanski, now 83, but Friday's appearance would make the first time Geimer has appeared publicly at a court hearing in the case.

 

"Samantha Geimer is tired of this. She has been asking the court to terminate this case for years. She wants to get it over with," the director's attorney, Harland Braun, told Reuters on Thursday.

 

He said Geimer would help make the case that Polanski had served his time and should not be punished further.

 

Debra Tate, the sister of Polanski's murdered actress wife Sharon Tate, will also attend Friday's court hearing, Braun said.

 

Polanski's case has been a cause celebre for 40 years. Following a 1977 guilty plea to rape and spending 42 days in jail, he fled the United States, fearing a plea bargain with prosecutors would be overruled and that he would get a lengthy prison term.

 

The most recent attempt to resolve matters ended in April when a Los Angeles judge ruled that the French-Polish director could not cut a deal from abroad to return to the United States without serving more jail time.

 

"Debra Tate is coming to support Roman. She hopes he will eventually get this case resolved," Braun added. Polanski's heavily pregnant wife Sharon Tate was murdered in 1969 at age 26 by followers of Charles Manson.

 

Braun said the aim of Friday's hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court was to unseal testimony about the 1977 plea deal and use it as evidence to get European authorities to rescind the international arrest warrant against Polanski.

 

"We want to have the transcripts so we can show the people at Interpol that he has already done his time," Braun said.

 

Polanski, whose films include "Rosemary's Baby," and "Chinatown," was arrested on U.S. warrants in both Poland and Switzerland during the past decade, but both countries ultimately declined to extradite him.

 

It was not clear whether Geimer or Tate would be permitted to address Friday's court hearing. If they are not, they will make their case to media outside, Braun said.

 

The Los Angeles District Attorney's office, which has fought to have Polanski face justice in the United States, said it would ask the court to deny Braun's request and any others "in the absence of new facts or a change of circumstance."

 

Geimer, who now lives in Hawaii, helped promote a 2008 documentary about claims of judicial misconduct in the case. She said at the time that she does not believe Polanski is a danger to society who needs to be locked up.

 

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-09

[boomerangutang]

good.

[thaibeachlovers]

The Los Angeles District Attorney's office, which has fought to have Polanski face justice in the United States, said it would ask the court to deny Braun's request and any others

 

IMO this shows why the US justice system is broken. It relies far too much on grandstanding politically motivated state attorneys.

I have read the history of this case and understand why he ran.

 

[brewsterbudgen]

Incredible that this is still not resolved.

[Dagnabbit]

1 hour ago, boomerangutang said:

good.

 

lol - way to try to be 'edgy'... supporting a child rapist...

[thaibeachlovers]

20 minutes ago, Dagnabbit said:

 

lol - way to try to be 'edgy'... supporting a child rapist...

He served his time according to the plea deal he agreed to. It was the state attorney that was going to renege on the deal.

It's not about supporting Polanski personally, but pointing out that the justice system is broken.

 

There is doubt that he was a "rapist" as such, though under California law it was statutory rape.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski_sexual_abuse_case

Describing the event in his autobiography, Polanski stated that he did not drug Geimer, that she "wasn't unresponsive", and that she did not respond negatively when he inquired as to whether or not she was enjoying what he was doing.[26] The 28-page probation report submitted to the court by Kenneth Fare (signed by deputy Irwin Gold) concluded by saying that there was evidence "that the victim was not only physically mature, but willing." The officers quoted two psychiatrists' denial of Roman being "a pedophile" or "sexual deviate".[27]

[Scott]

From a legal standpoint, when a crime such as this happens, it becomes the state's responsibility to seek justice.   Even if a child forgives, the law broken is a law not only against a victim, but against the State.   As such, they will continue to pursue the perpetrator until the day he/she dies.

 

In Polanski's situation, one hopes that some form of common sense overrules legalities, since it appears that all concerned are being harmed by pursuing it any  longer.  

[ddavidovsky]

Geimer decided years ago not to continue to play the victim. She should be applauded.

 

People are only victims if they decide to be. Nowadays there's a neurotic epidemic of people actively seeking victimhood for the sake of public sympathy. Society is becoming effete.

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, Scott said:

From a legal standpoint, when a crime such as this happens, it becomes the state's responsibility to seek justice.   Even if a child forgives, the law broken is a law not only against a victim, but against the State.   As such, they will continue to pursue the perpetrator until the day he/she dies.

 

In Polanski's situation, one hopes that some form of common sense overrules legalities, since it appears that all concerned are being harmed by pursuing it any  longer.  

 

Agree but those countries that refused extradition in the distant past should examine why that was.

 

Celebrity status and/or wealth and connections should not be allowed to impede justice.

 

 

[Scott]

It is an interesting case, from a legal point of view.   He had reached a plea agreement and if I recall, the judge had decided not to accept it.

 

No doubt, there were political factors in refusing extradition, but there may have been reasonable legal grounds for it.   I am not a legal expert, but we may have some on the forum who can shed an accurate light on the issues involved.  

[oxo1947]

19 minutes ago, Scott said:

It is an interesting case, from a legal point of view.   He had reached a plea agreement and if I recall, the judge had decided not to accept it.

Yes he not only reached a plea agreement--he done the time (I agree it wasn't a lot) then after doing what was in the agreement , the judge decided to declare it void.

The American system works on the plea agreements...(if it didn't everyone would want a jury trail and it would grind to a halt) "I will give the money back I stole---if I dont get more than 10 years"

"I will tell you who the other people were--if...etc..etc"

Same as Thailand

So when you reach an agreement with the prosecutor--who does represent the state--its suppose to be binding on both parties & the Judge as he is paid by the state.

 

According to the Doco on it--the Judge came under a lot of pressure after he had agreed and Polanski was doing that short sentence,   People in his golf club were coming up to him say..."Your not going to let that dirty little Jew get away with it are you"...etc

So the Judge buckled, That's why not to many countries are keen on sending back.

If he hadn't gone to court----he would be a free man, under the American  sunset law.

[IAMHERE]

The authorities cut a deal with Polanski and then broke the deal. Anyone dealing with the Los Angeles authorities has to expect the same, no trusting them.  I have to give some foreign countries a thumbs up for not buckling under to the USA. The prosecutor got a 'guilty' plea to avoid a trial and Polanski plead 'guilty' to a deal to avoid a trial and the Judge was intimidated by outside influences. 

[TPI]

On 9/6/2560 at 11:10 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

He served his time according to the plea deal he agreed to. It was the state attorney that was going to renege on the deal.

It's not about supporting Polanski personally, but pointing out that the justice system is broken.

 

There is doubt that he was a "rapist" as such, though under California law it was statutory rape.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski_sexual_abuse_case

Describing the event in his autobiography, Polanski stated that he did not drug Geimer, that she "wasn't unresponsive", and that she did not respond negatively when he inquired as to whether or not she was enjoying what he was doing.[26] The 28-page probation report submitted to the court by Kenneth Fare (signed by deputy Irwin Gold) concluded by saying that there was evidence "that the victim was not only physically mature, but willing." The officers quoted two psychiatrists' denial of Roman being "a pedophile" or "sexual deviate".[27]

He has served his time, let it go! The Justice system in the US is a far cry from its "father" the British system!!

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Agree but those countries that refused extradition in the distant past should examine why that was.

 

Celebrity status and/or wealth and connections should not be allowed to impede justice.

 

 

I doubt they let him off because of his status. More likely ( IMO )  they looked at the American case as being a politically motivated case and refused because of that.

European countries have a much more realistic view of sex than the Americans.

It is worth remembering that in the US Jerry Lee Lewis married a 13 year old.