Roman Polanski Must Return To The United States To Be Sentenced
Fugitive film director Roman Polanski must return to the United States to be sentenced for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
Reuters reports that Judge Peter Espinoza rejected a request by Polanski to be sentenced in his absence, and instead said the Oscar-winning director must return to California.
“I choose to insist that he appear,” Espinoza said.
Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1977 but skipped bail and fled to France before being sentenced. He is known for directing several hit movies including “Chinatown” and “Rosemary’s Baby. Polanski won an Oscar in 2003 for “The Pianist.”
Samantha Geimer, who accused Polanski of plying her with alcohol and drugs before raping and sodomizing her, has sought a close to the case, and her lawyer made that argument again on Friday, Reuters stated.
Polanski’s lawyers vigorously opposed his extradition and sought to have the unlawful sex case dropped, alleging judicial misconduct more than 30 years ago, Reuters added.
“It pains me to say this … he does not trust this system and this system has given him no reason to trust it,” said Chad Hummel, one of Polanski’s attorneys.
Although initially there was an international outcry against Polanski’s arrest, especially in France, the voices heard from Hollywood were relatively more muted.
