U.K. prosecutors authorize criminal charges against Harvey Weinstein
London — Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorized London's Metropolitan Police on Wednesday to charge disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein with two counts of indecent assault. Both counts stem from allegations made by one woman over events purported to have taken place in the summer of 1996.
"Charges have been authorized against Harvey Weinstein, 70, following a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation," Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said in a statement.
The alleged victim is now in her 50s, the Metropolitan Police said.
After victims in the U.S. began coming forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein in 2017, British police said they were investigating multiple allegations against the then-Hollywood mogul, which they said spanned decades.
Unlike in many countries, there is no statute of limitations on sexual abuse in the U.K.
In a landmark victory for the #MeToo movement in 2020, a New York court sentenced Weinstein to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.
Weinstein is currently in jail in California, where he is also awaiting trial over assaults on five women from 2004 to 2013, the Associated Press reported.
