Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to new rape charges

Disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to two additional charges of predatory sexual assault.

Weinstein, who briefly appeared in a New York court, has already pleaded not guilty to raping a woman in 2013 and a forcible sex act on another in 2006.

Prosecutors filed the new indictment on Monday to allow jurors to hear testimony from a third accuser, actress Annabella Sciorra.

Weinstein, 67, has denied sexual misconduct claims by over 70 women.

Sciorra, who is known for her role in the HBO series The Sopranos, says Mr Weinstein raped her inside her Manhattan apartment in 1993. She is not listed as a plaintiff in the new case because the alleged assault took place too long ago to be prosecuted under state law.

However, prosecutors hope to use her testimony to bolster their case that Weinstein is a sexual predator.

The defence said in court documents that the legal move to introduce Sciorra as a witness was a “desperate” bid to prop up a “weak” case.

Gloria Allred, a lawyer who represents sex abuse accusers in high-profile cases, said in a statement on Monday that she was representing Sciorra.

The actress went public with her allegation in the New Yorker magazine in October 2017.

Mr Weinstein’s trial was pushed back on Monday four months to January.

The Hollywood producer could face a life sentence if convicted.

News source: BBC