Harvey Weinstein threatened with jail by court judge after being caught on his mobile phone during rape trial
HARVEY Weinstein has been threatened with jail for using his phone in court during his rape trial.
The disgraced movie mogul hobbled into court in New York on a zimmer frame again today as jury selection for began.
But the judge was not impressed when he spotted the defendant using his mobile during proceedings.
Judge James Burke barked: "Mr Weinstein, is this really the way you want to end up in jail – by texting and violating a court order?"
The fuming judge then cut off Weinstein before he could answer.
Weinstein is charged with raping a woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing a sex act on another woman in the city in 2006.
If convicted he faces the possibility of life in prison.
The 67-year-old former film titan has said any sexual activity was consensual.
Scores of potential jurors were summoned for a selection process that could take weeks, given the heavy publicity surrounding the case and the way Weinstein has been cast as the chief villain of the #MeToo movement.
ANGRY JUDGE
It’s not the first time in the case that Weinstein’s behaviour has aggravated the judge.
The film producer had his bail increased to £3.8million last month after criminal prosecutors said he disabled his ankle monitoring bracelet at least 56 times in two months.
And they accused Weinstein of going missing for hours at a time – although the alleged sex offender's lawyer claimed this was because of an issue with the ankle tag's "batteries".
He also underwent surgery in December for a back injury sustained in a car accident in August.
Judge James Burke warned him at the time: “If you have any further medical issues, the court will not be terribly understanding.”
But the 67-year-old filmmaker shot back: “This is the only time I’ve asked for it. This ensures I am here January 6. This is a good thing for you.”
Once one of Hollywood's most powerful producers, Weinstein has now been accused of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct by dozens of women.
His accusers range from famous actresses to assistants at his former company.
The allegations began surfacing publicly in October 2017 and sparked the #MeToo movement, as well as investigations in multiple places.
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Los Angeles prosecutors charged Weinstein Monday with sexually assaulting two women there on successive nights during Oscar week in 2013.
Lawyers for Weinstein had no immediate comment on the new charges, though he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey said the timing of the charges was unrelated to the New York trial.
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