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This is the latest in a long series of efforts by Roman Polanski and friends to help the Oscar-winning director return to this country. The AP reports that lawyers for Polanski, who’s been a fugitive in France for the past 30 years, filed a request today to dismiss the notorious sex case involving an underage girl because of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct. The motion alleges that a documentary about Polanski released earlier this year revealed “a pattern of misconduct and improper communications” between the DA’s office and the judge in Polanski’s case. It was back in 1978 that Polanski skipped sentencing and fled the United States after pleading guilty to having sex with the 13-year-old who has since forgiven him. He was initially indicted on six felony counts and faced up to life in prison. Instead, he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Five other counts were dismissed. When he left the country, the judge issued a warrant for his arrest that is still in effect. Polanski won the Bes Director Oscar for 2002′s The Pianist.
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I don’t want that scumbag anywhere near my country!
How ridiculous is it for someone to plead guilty and flee before sentencing and then rely on a documentary to exonerate him?
Give me a break!
Ask Bush for a pardon…that’s all the advice I have.
Ummm, no thanks Roman. Lets forget this Star power trip pass LA usually gives its own. Sex wasn’t consensual if the thirteen year old was given drugs and drinks.
Besides his movies have gone downhill to borderline criminal soooo, no thanks. Stay in France.
If he admitted guilt then any prosecutorial misconduct becomes irrelevant. it is also irrelevant that the then 13 year old girl upon whom he committed statutory rape has now forgiven him. the people (i.e. the city of los angeles in the form of the prosecutor’s office), has not forgiven him and should not until he either serves his sentence or he stands trial for the remaining five counts. the passage of time, his talent and even his having received a best director academy award do not absolve him. although the case could certainly be made that thirty years living among the french should be considered time served…
The 13-year-old has “since forgiven him?” Please.
He took advantage of a child, and yes, I saw the documentary. It didn’t change my thoughts about the situation at *all*.
He would still be facing charges for skipping the country, right? It’s disgusting the way Polanski has evaded justice for decades without anyone in Hollywood batting an eyelash.
Man I hope this douche tries to sneak in the country…what a spineless coward don’t do the disgraceful crime if you’re scared of LA jails, puss.
Sounds like someone is sick of France.
13 years old. Picture it. I hope justice prevails. Pedophiles who make great films are still pretty much pedophiles. Even inmates don’t tolerate them. Hollywood? Well that’s a step down, so we’ll see.
Polanski is a cinematic genius. He’s a great artist. But he’s also pretty clearly a sick man, a damaged person, with a disturbing pattern of behavior. That’s not entirely his fault, a childhood during the Holocaust would destroy a lesser person. But as an adult, Polanski needs to do some real work with a therapist or psychiatrist to keep from himself from damaging others.
If that work hasn’t been done, he’s still a dangerous person.
Once a pedophile, always a pedophile. Sorry.
It’s the West and society at large that makes pedophilia into a crime.
I understand that the drugging part is highly problematic but I believe that it has been long enough for him to be ‘cured’ if you want to call it that.
Also, even the woman would most likely not want to go ahead with any charges at this point seeing as she has forgiven him and it has been so long.
There are bigger problems out there today.
Oh please, the holocaust? stop excusing his bad behavior and insulting the integrity of other survivors in the process!
He knew what he was doing was wrong at the time. He is a sick sob who hurt a little girl, and pedophiles never stop at one person. Just because he has only been prosecuted for one rape victim doesn’t mean there aren’t anymore out there.
One less pedo in America is good for the kids’ sakes. Let him continue to molest the ones in France. They bought him – they keep him, NO RETURNS!
As a victim of rape @ 11, I truly hope this man never sets foot in this country again. He doesn’t have the right, no matter how much he or anyone on his behalf paid his victim.
“It’s the West and society at large that makes pedophilia into a crime.
I understand that the drugging part is highly problematic but I believe that it has been long enough for him to be ‘cured’ if you want to call it that.
Also, even the woman would most likely not want to go ahead with any charges at this point seeing as she has forgiven him and it has been so long.
There are bigger problems out there today.”
Comment by KT — December 2, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
KT, the “bigger problems out there” are the evil, cowardly criminals like you who don’t think pedophilia is a crime. When someone rapes your child, I hope you’re forced to watch.
The man raped a child. Period. End of story.
As if I didn’t despise Hollywood enough already. They gave this sick asshole a standing ovation when he won the Oscar for The Pianist. Meanwhile Elia Kazan who spoke out against Communism and did what he knew in his heart to be the right thing got booed and people sitting on their hands. Once a pedophile, always a pedophile. That never goes away. It is not a simple virus or bacteria that can be cured through pills and therapy.
Almost as sickening as a paedophile are the people who willingly allow themselves to be entertained by them, knowing what they do for kicks.
Instead of apologizing and admiting to his mistakes, he wants to us to forget his crime and dismiss all the charges?
What does he take us for? Fools?
And to think the stupid Oscarians gave him an Oscar for his very stupid movie? That is why the Oscar is a joke.
Only the French will accept such acts since they celebrated sex so much more and care less whether one has sex with a minor or with a donkey.
We don’t want him here at all and not because we think our backyard are not with people of such despicable behaviour. We can do with one less.
He plead guilty, then fled. What am I missing? If Polanski though that the charges were bogus, why did he plead guilty? Why did he flee?
We are supposed to forgive this rat/midget pervert because some souless advocate for child rape made a documentary? This represents the current hollywood crowd mentality at it’s worst! This is why a lot of Americans do not go to most of the movies that are
presented. The silence of the Hollywood crowd in castigating this little perve is deafening!!
KT–
Hey that’s great! Let’s just let all men be allowed to bang 13 year-olds! Or do you have a thing for 7 year-olds?
Hopefully you don’t live anywhere near my neighborhood.
Roman Polanski is a kind, thoughtful, engaged and intelligent human being. In Europe, being 13 isn’t so young — Europeans are different. I am not saying it was right or wrong, but for those that don’t know Roman, throwing these ugly comments is only a comment on our society. He’s a great, caring and loving person. And, the Holocaust could very well be a reason for someone to have late blooming experiences — he lost 8 years of his life. He is NOT a scumbag!
So, drugging a 13-year old is ‘highly problematic’? Your moral compass must be dizzy from spinning so uncontrollably.
Is he talented? Sure. Did he commit a crime? Yes. His talent does not excuse him for the crime, and he needs to pay the penalty for the crime he admitted to committing.
You know, Charlie Manson played the guitar and wrote some songs and he wants out of jail. As an artist, Roman should appreciate Manson’s request. And at least Charlie did his time…
To paraphrase Walter Sobchak in Lebowski — “He’s a Pedarest Dude. 13 year-olds.”
I honestly don’t understand either the hate-cult or the defense-cult of Roman Polanski. Reading comments here and elsewhere, you’d think he’d murdered dozens of little children, or he’s a God-like maestro who may be excused on any indiscretion.
Seriously. He’s a human being. He’s been screwed over many times in his life (Holocaust death camps, being tortured by a serial killer, then having his wife tortured to death by a different serial killer). But he’s also screwed others’ lives over, most notably with this underage model. Nor is he that great of a director: Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby are some of the greatest movies ever, but he’s also turned out a lot of garbage.
I know everyone wants to be a villager to Frankenstein’s monster, but the dude hasn’t exactly killed anybody, nor does he have a rap sheet for raping 6-year olds. He’s just a screwed up human. His screwed up aspect happens to be more poignant and more public than everyone else’s.