I wasn’t born till 79 and have never heard of this man or what he did. can some1 fill me in?
IN 1977, he was 44, told a 13-year old girl's mother that he wanted to take photos of her for the French edition of Vogue. Allegedly told the mother she couldn't be there and that the girl couldn't bring a friend.
Took topless photos of her (this was before current child pornography laws) and at some point gave her champagne and a qualuude or two. Talked her into getting naked, took more photos, got her into the hot tub and got frisky with his hands. She said "no", went into the house to get her clothes. Asked to go home. He refused. He forced oral sex on her as she said "no."
He raped her vaginally as she said "no."
He raped her anally as she said "no."
He then raped her vaginally again as she said "no," because the whole "oral, vaginal, anal" bit just hadn't been enough. (Just going by her Grand Jury testimony, folks).
He was arrested. His lawyers argued that he was emotionally distraught by death of his wife to Manson family and death of family members in WWII Concentration Camps. Struck a tentative plea bargain, pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, and agreed to undergo about 45 days of psychiatric evaluation -- and psychiatrists were going to say he was unlikely to be a threat to anyone else.
He thought his sentence would be time served in psych evaluation under plea bargain but got wind that Judge was not going to accept 45 days of pscyh evaluation as punishment and was going to send him to prison.
He fled the country and went to France. France wouldn't extradite him to U.S. Who can blame them? Why should a famous artiste have to spend more than 45 days in confinement for raping a 13-year old American girl?
Artsy types thought it was horrific that he couldn't return to the U.S. to receive his Oscar for The Pianist in person.
Was he a continued threat to young girls? Well, by 1979, he was living in France with the 15-year old star, Nastassja Kinski.
I may have a few facts slightly askew, but not far.
Fact is, we're somehow supposed to forget/forgive him for vaginally and anally raping a 13-year old girl because (a) he's a really good director, (b) he's an artiste, (c) he's been punished by having to live in France as a French millionaire for 30 years, and (d) he couldn't show up in Hollywood to pick up an Oscar in person.
Oh, and because the girl he raped doesn't want the whole thing dredged up again.
Oh and oh, because Whoopi Goldberg says this wasn't "rape-rape", apparently because he pled guilty only to unlawful sex with an underage girl. Using alcohol and drugs to help you orally, vaginally, and anally rape a 13-year old while she said "no" isn't 'rape-rape', at least not if you're a famous Hollywood director.
His defenders say "legal shennigans." Yeah, right. He pled guilty to the sex, people, to keep from having to go to trial on the whole set of charges. His defenders say "Los Angeles has only been after him for a couple of years." Bull. L.A. has been after him since 1978 and has tried to have him apprehended on many occasions when he's made his way through countries with whom the U.S. has extradition agreements.