Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein arrived in a New York court in a wheelchair on Wednesday for the final act of his rape trial as he listened to his two victims deliver their emotional impact statements.
The disgraced Hollywood producer faces between five and 29 years in prison for raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.
Weinstein, who looked gaunt and pale, stared straight ahead as both Mann and Haleyi addressed the court and told of how their attacks had impacted their lives.
Haleyi, who was the first to deliver her statement, sobbed as she told the court that women are safer now that he is behind bars as she revealed that Weinstein crushed her spirit and altered the course of her life.
She said the attack on her in Weinstein’s Soho apartment in 2006 came at a ‘very vulnerable point’ in her life.
‘He attacked me with physical force, with no regard… It diminished my confidence and faith in people. It was very embarrassing and hurtful,’ she said.
‘I eventually buried it, I minimized it. .. because that was my coping mechanism. In reality, this incident altered the course of my life. He crushed a part of my spirit.
Harvey Weinstein was in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday for his sentencing hearing where he will learn just how long he’ll stay in prison for his landmark #MeToo conviction.
Jessica Mann, the woman Weinstein was convicted of raping, and Mimi Haleyi, the woman he’s accused of sexually assaulting, arrived in court on Wednesday ahead of his sentencing
‘At the time, I thought I was alone in this. I didn’t understand the extent of Harvey Weinstein’s calculated behavior. The pattern is obvious. I have no doubt if Harvery Weinstein was not convicted by this jury, he would have… again and again.
‘I am relieved that there are women out there who are safer because he’s not out there.’
She said that testifying against him was a way of healing given she had spent the past few years living in fear that he would retaliate against her.
‘I have never felt vengeful. I just felt sad for myself, I felt sad for everyone he hurt and sad even for him for having done this to himself.’
Haleyi said the attack scarred her deeply, made her rethink her career in the entertainment business and left her feeling paranoid and afraid of retaliation.
She said she avoids dating because she doesn’t want to hurt people, have them feel embarrassed or distance themselves when they find out what happened to her.
Mann, in her statement, said she wished she had been able to fight Weinstein off when he raped her in a Manhattan hotel.
‘I am forced to carry that experience until I die,’ she said.
Mann said that 12 people found Weinstein guilty of raping her but that he was ‘baffled at finally being held accountable’ because he still denies any wrongdoing.
She addressed the maxiumum four-year sentence Weinstein could face on her charge alone by comparing it drug offenses that could have a 20-year sentence.
‘How am I not worth more than cocaine?’ Mann said.
Mann added that she now wanted to create a future ‘where monsters no longer hide in our closets’.
All six women who testified during his trial – Mann, Haleyi, Annabella Sciorra, Tarale Wulff, Dawn Dunning and Lauren Marie Young – sat behind prosecutors in the packed courtroom for his sentencing.
Apart from Mann and Haleyi, the other four women will not permitted to speak at his sentencing under state law.
Weinstein’s defense lawyers Donna Rotunno and Damon Cheronis are pictured arriving in court on Wednesday
Weinstein’s defense attorney Donna Rotunno urged the judge to impose the minimum sentence.
She argued that is was never possible for Weinstein to have a fair trial because of his high profile case.
Rotunno said there were a number of people who wanted to speak out in support of Weinstein but claimed they were afraid to come forward for fear of retribution.
‘No matter what happens here, judge, nobody really wins. For Mr Weinstein, no matter what this court does, we’re really looking at a de facto life sentence,’ she said.
Rotunno also raised his deteriorating health and the relationship he has with his two youngest children as reasons for a minimum sentence.
‘Judge, Mr Weinstein is a sick man. He has a multitude of medical issues,’ Rotunno said.
She said he had a wonderful relationship with his six and nine-year-old children.
‘The loss of his daily presence in his life is going to have a major impact,’ she said.
Weinstein was convicted on two counts on February 24: A criminal sex act for the 2006 assault on Haleyi and third degree rape for the 2013 attack on Mann.
On the criminal sex act count, he faces between five to 25 years in prison, while the third-degree rape count carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
Weinstein was acquitted of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault stemming from actress Annabella Sciorra’s allegations of a mid-1990s rape.
The other three women who have accused Weinstein of assault were brought in to testify as prosecutors sought to show he had a pattern of behavior.
The film producer maintains his innocence and contends that any sexual activity was consensual.
Weinstein’s lawyers are seeking the minimum sentence of five years in prison because of his age and frail health.
Weinstein, who turns 68 next week, used a walker throughout the trial following recent back surgeries.
He has been awaiting sentencing in New York’s Rikers Island jail, where he was moved last Thursday after a 10-day hospital stay at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan where he underwent a procedure to clear a heart blockage.
Once Weinstein is sentenced, he’ll be transferred from the city’s jail system to the state prison system. The agency that runs New York’s state prisons said every inmate is evaluated to determine which facility meets his or her security, medical, mental health and other needs.