Former model testifies in Harvey Weinstein retrial about alleged sexual assault

A erstwhile exemplary has told a New York tribunal that disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her erstwhile she was 16 years old, calling it the astir “horrifying happening I ever experienced.”

Kaja Sokola told jurors astatine Weinstein’s retrial that helium enactment his manus wrong her underwear and made her interaction his genitals astatine his Manhattan flat successful 2002 erstwhile she was 16.

Sokola testified that Weinstein had told her that actors had to beryllium comfy disrobing successful the movie concern and directed her to undress, “so I should get utilized to it”.

She testified that she took disconnected her blouse and followed him into a bath because, she said, “I was 16 years old, and I was unsocial with a antheral for the archetypal time, and I didn’t cognize what other to do.”

“I was scared. I was frightened of him,” she continued. “I’d ne'er been successful an intimate concern with different idiosyncratic similar that.”

Sokola described Weinstein’s eyes arsenic appearing “black and scary” during the alleged battle and that helium had afterwards told her to support quiet, boasting he’d made Hollywood careers and could assistance her acting dreams travel true.

Sokola, the 2nd accuser to attest astatine the proceedings successful Manhattan, said from the basal that 4 years aboriginal – successful 2006 – the suspect lured her into a edifice country and forcibly performed oral enactment connected her.

The Polish exemplary said Weinstein invited her to spot immoderate movie scripts but alternatively pushed her connected to a bed. “I kept saying, ‘Please don’t, delight stop, I don’t privation this,’” she told jurors. “But helium didn’t listen.”

Sokola testified that Weinstein, 73, pinned her to the furniture with his assemblage and removed her shoes, underwear and stockings. He past allegedly forced his rima connected to her vagina portion helium masturbated.

“My psyche was removed from me,” Sokola said. “It felt similar I was dead.” At the extremity of the astir 15-minute encounter, Weinstein allegedly said: “You see, that wasn’t truthful difficult.”

Sokola’s 2006 alleged brushwood forms a caller accusation successful Weinstein’s transgression retrial and the lone alleged transgression not included successful his archetypal proceedings successful 2020 that was aboriginal thrown retired by an appeals tribunal connected grounds that prosecutors had utilized “Molineux” witnesses, oregon grounds not related to the crimes arsenic charged. .

Jurors person already heard from erstwhile Project Runway accumulation adjunct Miriam Haley, 48, who testified that Weinstein forcibly performed oral enactment connected her successful July 2006. Another accuser, Jessica Mann, is besides acceptable to instrumentality the basal successful enactment of accusations that Weinstein raped her successful 2013.

The suspect is charged with 1 number of engaging successful a transgression enactment enactment successful transportation with Haley’s allegations and 1 number of third-degree rape successful Mann’s case. Weinstein has pleaded not blameworthy to each of the charges and denies sexually assaulting anyone.

Weinstein is already serving a 16-year condemnation for a 2022 sexual-assault condemnation successful California. But that conviction, too, is being appealed connected the aforesaid grounds that saw the archetypal New York lawsuit overturned.

He is being transported to the tribunal regular from Bellevue infirmary aft his defence squad filed an exigency petition past period seeking to transportation him from Rikers Island due to the fact that helium is suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia, diabetes mellitus and “extensive” coronary artery disease.

Weinstein’s defence squad has truthful acold called for a mistrial connected 3 abstracted occasions, each denied by presiding justice Curtis Farber. The suspect is not charged with first-degree rape and predatory intersexual battle – claims that failed successful 2020 – due to the fact that of double-jeopardy protections. The lawsuit continues.