Posted on 10/23/2009 10:45:50 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
ZURICH (Reuters) – Film director Roman Polanski could face two years in prison if extradited to the United States after fleeing sentencing in California on child sex charges in 1978, the Swiss justice ministry said on Friday.
"The United States want him to be extradited for sexual intercourse with a minor. This carries a maximum sentence of two years under U.S. law," justice ministry spokesman Folco Galli said on Friday.
The United States has now formally asked Switzerland to extradite Roman Polanski, the ministry said, adding it would reach a decision based on a hearing and information provided by Polanski's lawyer, but that there was no deadline.
"If he agrees voluntarily to the extradition, the process can be concluded rapidly," Galli said. "If he fights it all the way, it will take months and months."
Polanski will be able to appeal against any extradition decision to the Swiss Federal Criminal Court and, in the last instance, the Federal Supreme Court, the ministry said.
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Polanski fled the United States when he was due to be sentenced for having unlawful sex with a girl aged 13.
A Swiss court this week rejected a bid by Polanski for release on bail, ..
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Polanski was originally indicted in Los Angeles on six charges, including rape, for having sex after plying the girl with champagne and drugs. He pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor and spent 42 days in prison for psychiatric tests.
But he fled the United States before the case was concluded because he believed a judge would sentence him to up to 50 years behind bars despite a plea agreement for time already served.
U.S. law changed on July 1, 1977, reducing the maximum sentence Polanski could face for this offense to two years, the ministry said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I hope he is extradited and he happens to fall out of the plane somewhere between here and there on the way back.
So from now on, to rape a 13 year old, it only costs 2 years in prison? Well, and the 500,000 he gave her. No, no, no, you have to make award winning movies to get that “privilege”.
How many days has he been sitting in jail now? Maybe he should have just took his lumps back in the 70’s.
Looks like he didn’t get away with it after all. Even if he doesn’t get sent back.
And how much time do you get for unlawful flight to avoid sentencing after a conviction, and being a fugitive for 30 years?
Would it be too much to ask that they add a second consecutive sentence for jumping bail?
He was also having sex with Nastassja Kinski when she was just 15. The guy is a pedophile. And sodomizing a 13-year-old was just one incident where he got caught. Bet there are hundreds of others.
Yup, I believe there are still many more victims we don’t know about. And I believe that once-a-pedophile,always-a-pedophile so he is a danger NOW to children.
What is further infuriating (if that is possible) is that, as a lowlife Hollywood director, aspiring actresses (adults, mind you) flocked to his casting couch. Plenty of adult women would sleep with him on a daily basis just to land a role in his film but that wouldn’t give him the power thrill of drugging/raping an unwilling child, now would it? Being the ‘adult’ in the relationship with Kinski allowed him to manipulate, control, and statutory rape too. The French or Hollywood wants to cast him as he cast himself - ‘a man that just loves too much’ (there is actually a quote somewhere that he was misunderstood in his pursuit of L’amour!) but he is and always will be, until the day he dies, a vicious predator who stalks and attacks those he can control and abuse.
He will be given credit for time served in a Swiss jail and sentenced here to “time served” and will be free to come to the U.S. and rape more 13 year olds and be given a hero’s welcome in Hollywood.
That may be part of the plan. It would be a good one. Can a guy get 50 years for jumping bail?
Did his trial ever end? Can they have a new trial?
The trial ended. He was awaiting sentencing when he left. Others have raised the issue that there may have been impropriety in the proposal and acceptance of a plea bargain down from 5 counts of rape to the much more lenient ‘sex with a minor’. Other posters on blogs have said that in today’s climate, a plea like that would never have been considered and was suspicious even back then. THerefore, the fact that the sentencing never occured means that the plea to lesser charges was never formalized - might the plea to lesser chargers be reconsidered? Arnold (GOv of CA) said in a press release that the case should be evaluated for improriety, not just from Polanski’s defense point of view - I think that might open the door to having the lesser plea rejected. I am just happy he is being extradited - for now - because the public disapproval that took Hollyweirders aback should keep a judge from letting him off with time served. WHy extradite if you are going to let him go that way anyway?
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