‘I’m going through hell’: Harvey Weinstein tells court he feels remorseful but does NOT apologize

‘I’m going through hell on earth’: Harvey Weinstein tells court he ‘feels remorse for all the MEN going through this fight’ and does NOT apologize before getting 23 years in prison

• Shamed producer, 67, broke his courtroom silence with a rambling statement
• ‘I feel remorse for all of the men who are going through this fight’, he said 
• Weinstein, sentenced Wednesday, said not seeing his children has been ‘hell’
• ‘I’m totally confused. I think men are confused about these issues,’ he said  

By Lauren Fruen and Emily Crane For Dailymail.com and Shawn Cohen In New York For Dailymail.com

Published: 16:40 GMT, 11 March 2020 | Updated: 17:09 GMT, 11 March 2020

Harvey Weinstein failed to apologize to his victims Wednesday telling a court he feels remorseful ‘for all the men going through this fight’  before being sentenced to 23 years in prison. 

The shamed movie producer, 67, broke his courtroom silence with a rambling statement in which he said he felt perplexed by the case and the #MeToo climate in which it unfolded.

He did not apologize to his victims. ‘I feel remorse for all of the men who are going through this fight,’ Weinstein said, adding he was worried about ‘thousands of men’ being denied due process in the #MeToo era. 

‘I’m totally confused. I think men are confused about these issues,’ he said in a calm but creaking voice, adding that he had fond memories of his accusers and believed he had a ‘serious friendship’ with both Mann and Haleyi.

Looking back during the trial at emails he exchanged with his accusers, he said he thought they had a good friendship. ‘I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people,’ he said.  

Weinstein was sentenced on Wednesday in Manhattan criminal court following his sexual assault and rape convictions last month.

He added: ‘I haven’t seen my three older children since the New York Times [and] the New Yorker articles came out. That for me is hell on earth. I may never see my children again.’  

  

Harvey Weinstein sits in a wheelchair during the sentencing following his conviction on sexual assault and rape charges in the Manhattan on Wednesday 

Defense attorney Donna Rotunno talks to the press after Harvey Weinstein’s sentencing

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sex crimes in a landmark #MeToo case that ended with six of his accusers sobbing and hugging each other from the front row of the courtroom. 

Jessica Mann makes a statement during sentencing Wednesday following Harvey Weinstein’s conviction

Weinstein was sentenced to 20 years on the criminal sex act charge for forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006. He was sentenced to three years for third degree rape for the attack on Jessica Mann in 2013.

Judge James Burke, who oversaw his trial, ordered Weinstein to serve the sentences consecutively and sentenced him to five years post release supervision for each charge. It is not clear when he will be eligible for parole. 

Once one of Hollywood’s most influential producers, Weinstein had faced the possibility of a maximum sentence of 29 years in prison.

Weinstein’s defense attorney Donna Rotunno slammed the judge and jury outside court, saying the trial was totally unfair.

Rotunno, who said they would be appealing by July, said the sentence was ‘too harsh’.

Asked about the impact of the #MeToo movement, Rotunno said: ‘This says nothing to me about the #MeToo movement other than the judge felt some type of pressure.’

Tarale Wulff, center, and Miriam Hailey, right, leave the courtroom following the sentencing of movie producer Harvey Weinstein

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said afterward that the judge ‘sent a message today that this type behavior is something that any potential offender is going to have to consider.

‘The judge took it seriously, which is exactly how we think he should have. And we’re grateful.’

Mann and Haleyi, who delivered victim impact statements on Wednesday, were joined in court by four of Weinstein’s other accusers: Annabella Sciorra, Tarale Wulff, Dawn Dunning and Lauren Marie Young.

All six women testified during Weinstein’s high-profile trial last month but only Mann and Haleyi were allowed to address the court.

 

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