Harvey Weinstein has been taken to hospital after being convicted of sexual assault and rape.
The disgraced former Hollywood producer is facing up to 29 years in prison when he returns to court for sentencing next month.
He was yesterday found guilty of sexually assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006 and the third-degree rape of Jessica Mann in 2013.
The 67-year-old reportedly complained of chest pains after the verdict was handed down and was taken to hospital as a “precautionary measure.”
He was due to be taken to Rikers Island jail to await sentencing on March 11th.
Following the verdicts, the New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance described Weinstein as a “vicious, serial sexual predator.”
Attorney Donna Rotunno arrives with her client Harvey Weinstein at a Manhattan courthouse, 24-02-2020. Image: John Minchillo/AP/Press Association ImagesHis lawyer Donna Rotunno said: “Harvey is unbelievably strong. He took it like a man.
“He knows that we will continue to fight for him, and we know that this is not over.”
The victims, actress Jessica Mann and production assistant Mimi Haleyi, gave graphic evidence during the course of the four-week trial.
But prosecutors also called as a witness the actress Annabella Sciorra, who claimed Weinstein raped her in her apartment in the early 1990s.
Three other women also gave evidence to the trial about their alleged experiences with Weinstein even though they were not named in the charges.
(1/3) This trial - & today's verdict - mark a new era of justice not just for Weinstein survivors, but for all survivors of harassment, abuse & assault at work. It sends a powerful message on how much progress we've made since the #SilenceBreakers ignited an unstoppable movement. https://t.co/OOoShZ9jMx
— Tina Tchen (@TinaTchen) February 24, 2020
Tina Tchen, president and chief executive of the Time's Up foundation, said the convictions marked a “new era of justice.”
She said: “This trial, and the jury's decision today, marks a new era of justice, not just for the Silence Breakers, who spoke out at great personal risk, but for all survivors of harassment, abuse, and assault at work.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to Mimi Haleyi, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff, Lauren Young, and all the Silence Breakers for their bravery and resolve as they faced this man in court.”
Actress Rose McGowan speaks during a press conference on 1st day of Harvey Weinstein trial in New York, 06-02-2020. Image: Pacific Press/SIPA USA/PA ImagesActress Rose McGowan, one of the Weinstein’s earliest accusers, said: “Today is a powerful day and a huge step forward in collective healing.
“Twenty years ago I decided to come after Weinstein because I'd heard about him doing this to someone else, and then I heard him doing it to someone else, and someone else.
“Every one of us who has come forward, we have a name, we have a history, we have a life, we are more than Weinstein. But today, because of the brave women, who bared their deepest hurt for the world to see, he's in Rikers Island.
“For once he won't be sitting comfortably. For once he will know what it's like to have power wrapped around his neck.
“Today is not a referendum on #MeToo, this is taking out the trash.”
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 24, 2020
Weinstein is also accused of rape and sexual battery of two women in hotel rooms in Los Angeles on successive nights in 2013.
If convicted on those charges, he could face a further 28 years in prison.
