Polanski Victim: Justice "Never Too Late"

(CBS)  Filmmaker Roman Polanski's lawyers filed for his release Tuesday, but he remains behind bars in Switzerland, after fleeing sentencing in the United States 31 years ago on the charge of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

That victim, Samantha Geimer, isn't talking right now, but several years ago she spoke to Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman.

Geimer, who was assaulted by Polanski in 1977, has said she's forgiven Polanski and moved on. But in 2003, following news of Polanski's nomination for a Best Director Academy Award for "The Pianist," Kauffman said Geimer was adamant, saying it's never too late for justice to be served.

Polanski's Lawyers File for his Release

Geimer was a young girl who wanted to be a movie star, Kauffman reported. Polanski was one of Hollyood's hottest directors when they met in 1977 for a photo shoot.

Geimer said during Kauffman's interview, "He took topless pictures of me, which I think in the back of head, I was thinking, 'They'll be cropped, or it's in a European magazine, and we all know they show breasts in European magazines.'" Geimer did not tell her mother about the topless photos.

Polanski, basking in the success of his recent film, "Chinatown," starring Jack Nicholson, arranged a second photo shoot - this time at Nicholson's house.

Kauffman asked Geimer, "How did it go from a photo shoot to a rape?"

"Well, the last photos were taken in the jacuzzi," Geimer said. "But then he got in the jacuzzi, and that's when I started realizing that I might be in trouble, or I felt uncomfortable - I knew it didn't feel right.

"So I told him I wanted to get out of that jacuzzi, that the steam was giving me asthma and I couldn't breathe, and I thought maybe he should take me home - I just made that up. So he said OK, you know, come out now and grab a towel, run in the house. That's also when he said 'Well here, take this little, this will help you, little piece of a pill,' to relax my asthma attack."

The pill, Geimer said, was a quaalude. Then Geimer said she had sex with Polanski against her will.

Geimer told her mother, who called police. Polanski was charged with six felony counts.

Facing decades behinds bars, Polanski fled to Europe, where he's been a fugitive until his arrest this weekend.

In an interview with "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace in 1978, Polanski claimed the sex was consensual.

"She wasn't unschooled in sexual matters," Polanski said. "She was consenting and willing."

But is it too late for justice to be served?

Geimer told Kauffman, "It's never too late. It's never too late to go back and fix something that wasn't done right. It's been too long, but it will never be too late."

In a 2003 Op-Ed for the Los Angeles Times, Geimer wrote, "The one thing that bothers me is that what happened to me in 1977 continues to happen to girls every day, yet people are interested in me because Mr. Polanski is a celebrity. That just never seems right to me. It makes me feel guilty that this attention is directed at me, when there are certainly others out there who could really use it."

Earlier this year, Geimer filed a formal request that Los Angeles prosecutors drop the charges against Polanski, saying she wanted to move on and stop reliving the details.

Polanski has also moved on, according to Robert Harris, a bestselling novelist and Polanski's friend. Harris has been working with Polanski on a film adaptation of his novel, "The Ghost."

Photos: Roman Polanski

Polanski was arrested Saturday as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival.

Harris told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith Polanski didn't live in fear of arrest.

"I've been working with him pretty continuously for three years," Harris said. "And he traveled very freely back and forth between France and Switzerland. He has a house in Switzerland, which is why it seems so astonishing when he was actually picked up at the airport on Saturday night, because he could have been picked up at anytime if they wanted to do so."

In fact, Harris said, Polanski traveled to China, Egypt, Greece and Germany.

Harris said Polanski is embarrassed about the case's reprisal in the news for his young children.

He attributes Polanski's arrest to the HBO documentary, "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," which revealed what many consider judicial misconduct.

"When this HBO documentary ... came out last year, I think he thought it was a turning point for him because that film, while not glossing over the seriousness of what happened, nevertheless did show the things that had gone on behind the scenes with the judge changing his mind on the plea bargain, which was the reason why he fled to Europe."

Documentary: "Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired"

Harris added, referring to when the film was released, "I think he thought at that point (he was in) a position to get the whole thing thrown out. It may be that he then became too overconfident, too aggressive in his legal action in Los Angeles, (and) their patience finally snapped. And really, a half-hearted pursuit over the past 30 years became suddenly much more intense."

It's an ironic situation, Harris said.

"He sowed the seeds of his own defeat, and I think the Los Angeles prosecutors have been stung - some to action - by that movie," Harris said. "I can't see otherwise why the Swiss should suddenly have arrested him after all this time. They are now cooperating much more fully with America, and other countries ... and it may be that they're just trying to show that they're keen boys."

[Basketcase_1]

I can't believe the hollywood stars are behind a child rapist.
I guess they believe they are above the law.
If it was their child they would be screaming bloody murder.
And France should be ashamed of themselves backing a child rapist
but i guess in there country rapeing a 13 year old girl is the norm i wonder if they feel the same about young boys being raped?

[akc4news]

This is a surreal attempt at justice Hollywood style. Who will write the book, who will make the movie? There is no justice in this for the victim at this point because of the the circus that will certainly follow this case now. Mr Polansky you should not have run all those years ago,and please don't hide behind your past as a excuse for your deplorable behavior.As for all of the hollywood folk lining up to defend him, what if it was your child that this happened to? Would you be nearly as forgiving? Please Hollywood develope a consience....

[vanaals]

I'm dismayed and disappointed in the differences I see between your radio broadcast news, this online article and what I read in the international press. Your reporting is tilted against Mr. Polanski in its omission of certain details surrounding his case thirty years ago. Details that tell of his pleading guilty to a plea bargain on a lesser charge with time served. And the one detail that prompted his fleeing before sentencing, that the judge, with whom the plea bargain was made, was planning to change the terms of the plea bargain at the sentencing hearing. Certainly, a prejudicial judge with an axe to grind would be sufficient cause for the French government not to extradite Mr. Polanski so many years ago. Otherwise, why wouldn't the French have taken action so long before the Swiss? We have extradition treaties with France also. There is also, international opinion, that the arrest by the Swiss government, where Mr. Polanski has a home and has freely traveled to over the years, has been politically motivated for the arrest to allay any wrong-doing by UBS bank in recent American banking scandals and bail-outs.

[fisherman222]

This piece of garbage should spend the rest of his unnatural life feeling like his backside is a train station. To all of you "Hollywood People" shame on you, not only will I never go to see any of your films, you should all join him in his cell as accomplices to his crime. He is a rapist, a child molester who drugged a 13 year old girl, how can you defend this? What if it were your child?

[ekucrew]

fisherman222.. you beat several posters to the punch with your post. Hard to believe that actors like Debra Winger at film festival press conferences are defending Polanski.

[DoctheGaffer]

The victim in this case has moved on and put the incident behind her. Los Angeles Prosecutors should as well. They have been embarrassed by so many cases over the last three decades. They have become blind to the fact they are pursuing cases and making decisions that are more in the interest of making themselves look competent and less in the interest of the public they are suppose to serve.
If you agree with shazmiforce?s hateful comments and believe that justice is some how being done here keep in mind the nature of the posting. He believes that torture and rape are tools of justice. Not against young woman but raping an old man is just fine. He also believes the United States of America is run by extremist Jews as he implied in a previous posting referring to the United States of America as the ?jewnited states of america?. He probably believes this is the sole cause of all the bad things that have happened in his life. Take some responsibility for your self and for you nations choices. All girls grow up fast in Los Angeles, maybe you should too.
~Doc the Gaffer

[SusanStoHelit]

Obviously the victim has not moved on - but it really does not matter. He is a rapist. For the sake of the NEXT 13 year old girl that a rich and powerful man thinks he can rape, there must be justice. Otherwise we tell the rapists that if they have enough sycophants to harass the victim, run from justice long enough, we'll just let them off the hook.

He plead guilty. He deserves justice. Had he wanted to serve his jail time as a younger man, all he had to do was NOT RUN.

[scoobydob]

If polanski thinks this matter is so trivial maybe he'll agree to a deal where he is freed and the charges droppped in exchange for his embarassed children going to live with phillip garrido for a while and he can have some grand kids.

[shazmiforce]

by T-Fed September 29, 2009 7:01 AM EDT
Well, well, well... how the mighty have fallen. You trick a 13 year old to come to yur house, you rape her, you also insert yourself into her anus, you pay your crack lawyer team thuosands, maybe millions to try to negotiate a sweetheart deal, and then you flee once reality hits you in your stupid face. You live in France for thirty years in a nice house, perhaps a villa while the 13 year old grows up and trys to deal with the emotional turmoil over your special act of directors kindness towards her... and now you want to appeal the Rule of Law which Switzerland is attempting to uphold since France couldn't, wouldn't? I hope you lose all of your appeals and return to the U.S. to face the justice system. I further hope that the new friends that you will meet in the prison film making institute of California also like anal sex and show you the ins and the outs of the prison system of justice. But wait, there is a silver lining stashed in this dark cloud. You can collect on your Oscar for the Piano. P.S. - I thought the movie sucked, just as you will be soon enough Herr Director. Can you yell, "Cut," loud enough? P.S.S. - I really enjoyed your idiotic Hollywood friends sticking up for you in their impromptu news conference yesterday, talking abuot how the U.S. was bad for going after you thirty years after the fact. Didn't hear any of these film loving goofballs speak of the damage done to the 13 year old who had to forgo her innocence and grow up fast that night, 30 years ago when you raped her.
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Exactly one thousand percent correct.....Amazing post and its all true ....