British prosecutors drop sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein

London: British prosecutors said on Thursday they had dropped charges of indecent assault against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

“After reviewing the evidence in this case, the CPS has decided to discontinue criminal proceedings against Harvey Weinstein,” said Frank Ferguson, Head of the Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

“The CPS has a duty to keep all cases under review on an ongoing basis and we have concluded that there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.”

When the CPS brought charges two years ago, it said the alleged assault took place in London in August 1996. Police said the charges related to a woman who is now in her 50s.

Weinstein, 72, denies having had sexual encounters with anyone without their consent.

In February 2020, a Manhattan jury found him guilty of rape, but the New York Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in April, saying Weinstein did not receive a fair trial because a judge wrongly allowed testimony from accusers whose assault he was not formally accused of.

A Los Angeles court convicted him in 2022 of raping an actress in the city.