Harvey Weinstein rape trial: Alleged victims have their say outside court
The 67-year-old producer faces five charges in New York including rape and sexual assault involving two women, which he denies.
Tuesday 7 January 2020 02:51, UK
If their voices won't be heard inside a courtroom, they were determined to at least have their say outside.
Women who have made allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against Harvey Weinstein, 67, staged a protest as he arrived for the start of his criminal trial.
As the Oscar-winning producer made his way into New York's supreme court - at the centre of a frenzy of cameras - the women huddled in an enclosure, holding signs calling for justice.
High-profile voices - including Rose McGowan and Rosanna Arquette - acknowledged the significance of the first major trial of the #MeToo era, but questioned whether Hollywood has genuinely changed.
Arquette said some in the industry have sympathy for the accused.
The women's allegations do not feature in the current case against the movie mogul but they wanted to show support for the alleged victims.
In the bitter cold of a Manhattan morning, there was an intensity to the shared strength of feeling.
They bill themselves as Silence Breakers, demanding Weinstein and others in the entertainment industry face the consequences for their alleged actions.
Actor and comedian Sarah Ann Masse, who has claimed Weinstein hugged her while wearing just his underwear during a job interview in 2008, came to New York for the start of the trial.
It was, she said, the first time she had seen him in person since their encounter.
She said he avoided eye contact when he arrived at court.
Regardless of the verdict in the case, she said, it was a moment of "cultural reckoning".
The proceedings in New York will focus on allegations involving two women - which Weinstein denies - but a small number of other accusers will give evidence as prosecutors seek to show Weinstein exhibited a pattern of behaviour.
But the trial, which could see Weinstein jailed for life, is now unlikely to be his last.
Even as proceedings were getting under way in New York, prosecutors in Los Angeles announced separate charges of rape and sexual assault involving two more women in 2013.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of 28 years.
The Los Angeles District Attorney has faced criticism for the time it has taken for a task force on allegations against powerful Hollywood figures to reach decisions.
Those first decisions finally arrived at a significant moment for Harvey Weinstein.
His legal fight is only just beginning.