Director Roman Polanski, who won the directing Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist, will not be coming to the U.S. from his home in Europe this week to contest his 1978 conviction for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, his attorneys said in a court filing Monday, Reuters reports.
Polanski fled the country after his conviction more than 30 years ago, and has not set foot on U.S. soil since. The 75-year-old, who has directed such cinematic classics as Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby, would likely be arrested if he did, legal experts told Reuters. This February, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza refused to consider Polanski’s request to dismiss his 1978 conviction as long as the director remained out of the country. Polanski’s decision not to return essentially ends his quest to have his conviction dismissed. The fairness of Polanksi’s trial has been called into question recently, most notably by the acclaimed documentary, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, which premiered on HBO last year.
I don’t agree with what he did, having sex with the 13 year old girl. That’s not cool. I do agree however that his initial trial was a joke. I don’t know what they outocme should be. I think he should get another trial, but I do think he should be here for it. I’m sure if he came back to the states for a new trial, they would just throw him in jail and it would be another media circus.
Really? Are we suppposed to feel sorry for a child rapist who fled the country. A person who was convicted and refuses to pay for his crimes and stills makes millions and wins Oscars. Oh, wait. I forgot we were talking about Hollywood.
And this is news? This child rapist has ignored the law on this matter from day one. Why change now? Blah.