In a recent addition to the never-ending Harvey Weinstein sexual assault allegations, an Italian model-actress has come forward accusing the producer of sexually assaulted her in a hotel back in 2013.
Also read: Lupita Nyong'o opens up about TERRIFYING Harvey Weinstein encounter
LA Times reported that the actress meeting with the Los Angeles police detectives lasted over two hours on Thursday morning. She is the sixth woman to have personally come forward and filed a case against Weinstein for sexual misconduct, harassment and rape.
The 38-year-old woman has sought not to reveal her identity over concerns regarding retaliation and her children's privacy. She recounted her story to the LA Times, claiming the incident had happened at the Mr. C Beverly Hills Hotel, post the 8th annual Los Angeles, Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest in February 2013.
She spoke about how Weinstein had shown up "without warning" after midnight. She mentioned being surprised as she hadn't revealed her stay information to him. He demanded her to be seen in his room, and despite her refusal, moments later, he was knocking on her door.
"He ... bullied his way into my hotel room, saying, 'I'm not going to [have sex with] you, I just want to talk,'" she said in her interview with The Times. "Once inside, he asked me questions about myself, but soon became very aggressive and demanding and kept asking to see me naked."
She mentioned Weinstein warning her to not fight him because of his position in the industry, and even though she tried to beg him to leave by showing pictures of her kids and ailing mother, "He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to do something I did not want to do," she said. "He then dragged me to the bathroom and forcibly raped me."
She also recounts Weinstein's words of goodbye, where he called her beautiful and worthy of working in Hollywood. "He acted like nothing happened," the woman said. "I barely knew this man. It was the most demeaning thing ever done to me by far. It sickens me still. ... He made me feel like an object, like nothing, with all his power."
This dig that Seth MacFarlane had taken at Harvey Weinstein's stand in the industry is a proof of the woman's word. Clearly, she wasn't the only one who had to suffer the same.
Fairly popular in Italy, the model-actress has also appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue and as an actress in Italian films. She was 34 at the time of her horrifying experience with Harvey Weinstein and living with her children in Italy. She has moved to Southern California since.
Now that she's finally opening up, the actress states, "I feel responsible that I didn't talk for years, I feel responsible that I didn't react that night and I didn't call the police, I feel responsible that I wasn't brave enough," she said. "All these years I've been thinking why I didn't call the police immediately. I regret that I opened the [hotel] door."
Even though this is the first case to have been reported against Weinstein in South California, Captain Billy Hayes confirmed to the LA Times that criminal investigation has been launched against the accused already; New York police, on the other hand, has two such cases filed and London's Metropolitan Police has three allegations in count.
LA Times reported the severity of this new allegation in terms of how troublesome it could be for Weinstein as it falls within the 10-year statute of limitations for crimes, according to legal experts. Former LA Country sex crimes prosecutor and defence attorney Dmitry Griffin believes it could "open the door to a prosecution if the evidence exists."
So far all allegations against Weinstein have been about incidents that are over a decade old. Probably why Weinstein had "unequivocally declined" all allegations of non-consensual sex, as per his representative, who also commented on the latest allegation, claiming, "I can't respond to some anonymous complaint."
