Harvey Weinstein accused of rape by multiple women

The Hollywood producer has "unequivocally denied" the claims

Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been accused of rape by multiple women, allegations that he “unequivocally denies”.

The film producer was recently sacked from the board of The Weinstein Company, the company he co-founded, following a series of sexual harassment accusations, some of which date back decades.

Now, a new piece from The New Yorker – written by Ronan Farrow, son of Mia Farrow – details further allegations of sexual harassment as well as rape.

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Italian actress and director Asia Argento, former actress Lucia Evans and one unnamed woman have accused Weinstein of forcing them to engage in sexual intercourse or other sex acts, while four other women have alleged that Weinstein touched them without their consent in a manner “that could be classified as an assault”. Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette, meanwhile, have made allegations of sexual harassment against Weinstein.

Audio has also been published from a 2015 police sting operation that allegedly shows Weinstein admitting to groping model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez. Weinstein is accused of telling Gutierrez that he was “used to” behaving that way after she accuses him of inappropriately touching her breast.

A spokeswoman for Weinstein has said: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein… Mr Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual.”

Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein

The original New York Times article that shone a light on claims included accusations of unwanted sexual advances by Weinstein from actresses Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan and colleagues of Weinstein’s. British star Romola Garai later made further sexual harassment accusations against Weinstein.

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While dismissing the claims as false and threatening legal action, Weinstein has also issued an apology for “the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past”

Responding to the initial allegations in a statement, Weinstein said: “I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.”

He continued: “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologise for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.” The producer stated that he was working with therapists to “deal with this issue head on”.

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