British prosecutors have closed Harvey Weinstein sexual assault case

LONDON (Reuters) – British prosecutors said on Thursday they have dropped sexual assault charges against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, concluding there was no realistic prospect of a conviction.

When the British Crown Prosecution Service approved the charges against Weinstein two years ago, it said the alleged attack had taken place in London in August 1996. Police added that the charges related to a woman in her 50s.

“After reviewing the evidence in this case, the Public Prosecution Service has decided to discontinue criminal proceedings against Harvey Weinstein,” said Frank Ferguson, head of the Public Prosecution Service’s Special Crimes and Counterterrorism Unit.

“The CPS has a duty to continually review all cases and we have decided that there is no realistic prospect of a conviction.”

Ferguson said the Public Prosecution Service had explained the decision to all parties involved.

Weinstein, 72, was found guilty in the United States in 2020 on rape charges and sentenced to 23 years in prison, a milestone for the #MeToo movement, in which women have accused hundreds of men in entertainment, media, politics and other sectors of sexual misconduct.

However, the New York Court of Appeals threw out the Manhattan conviction in April, finding that the co-founder of the Miramax film studio did not receive a fair trial because a judge improperly allowed testimony from prosecutors who had not formally charged him with assault. He faces a possible new trial in November.

A Los Angeles court also convicted him in 2022 of raping an actress in the city, and he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. That sentence was not affected by the New York court’s decision, and he has not yet begun serving the California sentence.

Weinstein denies any wrongdoing and denies having sexual encounters with others without consent.

(Reporting by William James and Michael Holden, Editing by Paul Sandle and Alison Williams)