Former film producer: Harvey Weinstein appeals his conviction

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Harvey Weinstein in front of a courthouse in New York (archive)

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Lucas Jackson / REUTERS

Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has appealed more than a year after being convicted of sex crimes.

In court documents filed in New York on Monday, Weinstein's attorneys stated that the pulp fiction producer, sentenced to 23 years in prison, had been denied a fair trial.

The defense lawyers argue, among other things, that several women who had incriminated the 69-year-old in the process were not allowed to testify because their allegations against Weinstein were not part of the indictment.

"The American criminal justice system was designed to convict defendants on the basis of their conduct - not on the basis of their general character," the appeal reads.

The lawyers also accuse a jury of bias.

The woman had written a book about older men chasing after younger women.

The attorneys also criticize the presiding judge James Burke imposing an "inappropriately harsh and exaggerated" sentence on Weinstein.

A New York jury found the former successful producer guilty of rape in a minor case and of serious sexual assault in February 2020.

The following month, Burke sentenced Weinstein to a 23-year prison term.

The founder of the Miramax film studio is serving his sentence in a prison in New York State.

He was expected to appeal.

The New York case was about sexual assault against two women.

Weinstein is also awaiting trial in Los Angeles for the rape and sexual assault of several other women.

mjm / dpa