Britain halts criminal proceedings against Harvey Weinstein

British prosecutors drop sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein due to lack of realistic prospect of conviction

British prosecutors have decided not to pursue criminal charges of sexual assault against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

The Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday (September 5, 2024) that it decided to discontinue proceedings against Weinstein because there is “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.’’

“We have explained our decision to all parties,’’ the CPS said in statement. ’’We would always encourage any potential victims of sexual assault to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met.”

The CPS had previously authorized police to file the charges against Weinstein in relation to an alleged sexual assault that occurred in London in 1996.

Weinstein remains in custody in New York while awaiting retrial on rape and sexual assault charges in Manhattan, prosecutors said in August after the former movie mogul made a brief court appearance related to California’s request to extradite him there.

After the retrial, he is due to start serving a 16-year sentence in California for a separate rape conviction in Los Angeles, authorities said. Weinstein, who has denied that he raped or sexually assaulted anyone, was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 while already serving a 23-year sentence in New York.

His 2020 conviction in Manhattan was thrown out this spring by the state’s top court, which ruled that the judge in the original trial unfairly allowed testimony against Weinstein based on allegations that weren’t part of the case.