The Crown Prosecution Service in Britain has opted not to pursue criminal charges of indecent assault against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The decision to discontinue proceedings against Weinstein was made as the prosecutors deemed there was no longer a realistic chance of getting a conviction. The CPS expressed its stance in a statement advising victims of sexual assault to report such incidents to the authorities for prosecution when the legal criteria are met.
Weinstein had been facing potential charges related to an alleged indecent assault in London dating back to 1996, which police had been given authorization to pursue by the CPS. Meanwhile, Weinstein awaits further legal proceedings in New York, where he remains in custody pending a retrial on charges of rape and sexual assault in Manhattan. He recently appeared in court regarding California’s extradition request.
Following the Manhattan retrial, Weinstein is set to begin serving a 16-year sentence in California after a separate rape conviction in Los Angeles, where he was previously handed a 23-year sentence. Despite maintaining his innocence and denying accusations of sexual assault, Weinstein was convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2022 while already serving time in New York. The 2020 Manhattan conviction was overturned earlier this year by the state’s highest court, citing unfair inclusion of certain testimony that was not relevant to the case against Weinstein.
