Roman Polanski is back on the criminal docket. Thirty years after his conviction for a sex offense involving a minor, Polanski’s lawyers are asking a California court to dismiss the case against him, claiming prosecutorial and judicial misconduct. The filing is based on “extraordinary new evidence” of “repeated, unlawful, and unethical misconduct” by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and the judge in Polanski’s case — evidence uncovered in the making of an HBO documentary, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.’
Polanski, 75, has continued to live in exile since fleeing the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. His arrest warrant against him remains in effect.
The evidence suggests that deputy district attorney, David Wells, engaged in “unethical and unlawful” conversations with the late Judge Lawrence Rittenband. It notes that Rittenband ignored the recommendations of the the chief prosecutor, a probation officer and the girl’s family that no jail time was warranted.
It will be a very difficult motion to win. Courts are fairly hostile to people who flee — particularly people who live open and opulent lives as celebrity fugitives. He seems to be following the advice of one of the characters from Polanski’s Chinatown: “‘Course I’m respectable. I’m old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.”
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I guess because Sam was displaying adolescent conduct disorder, that somewhow exonerates Polanski from this crime. He drugged her with qualuudes and alcohol just prior to sodomizing her, I suppose this plot was hatched by the family prior to the actual crime taking place. Sure, Polanski is the real victim, “I mean he was looking out for her best interests”, just prior to plying her with drugs and raping her! How has Polanski more than payed the price for his crime of sexual assault on a minor?
I knew the victim “Sam”, we both lived in Woodland Hills, CA. Sam’s bedroom was a converted garage where everyone drank, used drugs and had sex with her mother’s knowledge. I also remember sam was not aloud to be seen in front of her house with any of her boyfriends because there might be someone watching which could put a damper on the perception of Sam as an innocent victim. I feel Polanski has more than paid the price for his actions, however, Sams mother has not. Sam was young, beautiful, sexually active, and not a stranger to drugs and alcohol as her mother was well aware when Sam was left alone with Polanski. In my opinion Sam was pimped for financial gain. The shit really hit the fan, between Sam and her mother, when Polanski skipped the country as their plan for riches crumbled. Due to Sam’s, age at the time of the crime, I now feel she was a victim. I feel Polanski commited a crime for which he has paid his debt to society. Sam’s mother is the final piece to the puzzel and is just as guilty as Polanski yet has never been prosecuted.
please excuse my spelling
The long arm of Los Angeles County Justice and the great state of California is preparing to flex its’ legal and relentless muscle!
There was an excellent documentary released last summer on this topic.
I think it aired on HBO
Talk about a media whore of a judge.
Maybe George W. can make things easier for Mr. Polanski with a pardon. It would be a perfect ending to the Bush regime. He has already pardoned 3 or 4 people that were convicted during the S&L scandal of the 80’s so why not pardon someone for having sex with a child? Hopefully the court will remain hostile to people who flee the jurisdiction.