A Polish former model has testified at Harvey Weinstein's retrial in New York, alleging that the former Hollywood producer sexually assaulted her when she was 16.
Kaja Sokola, 39, told the court that the alleged incident occurred in 2002 when she was 16 years old, shortly after she moved to New York to pursue a modelling and acting career. She testified that Weinstein invited her to what she believed was a business meeting but brought her to a Manhattan apartment instead.
"I was scared, I never had been in an intimate situation before that," Sokola said in graphic testimony. Sokola told the court that as the alleged assault took place, she could see Weinstein "staring at me in the reflection" of a bathroom mirror. "I'll never forget this," she said.
Weinstein is not facing charges regarding the 2002 allegation, as it falls outside the statute of limitations. However, Sokola is one of three women whose allegations are being heard during the current proceedings as part of the prosecution's case pattern.
The former Miramax co-founder, 73, denies all allegations of non-consensual sexual activity.
On Wednesday, Sokola testified that Weinstein also sexually assaulted her in 2006, in a Manhattan hotel when she was 19. She alleged that after lunch, he invited her to a room under the pretext of showing a script.
"I told him to stop," Sokola said, "but he didn't listen".
During the incident in 2002, Sokola said that when she told Weinstein she wanted to leave, "he got upset".
"He said I had to listen to him if I wanted to pursue a career in Hollywood," she added.
Asked by Shannon Lucey why she did not report the alleged assault at the time, Sokola replied: "I thought it was my fault. I was a happy teenager before that. I had boundaries. But this happened so rapidly, without my permission."
Sokola said that following the incident, she developed eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia.
Weinstein's 2020 convictions for sexual assault against two other women - former production assistant Miriam Haley and aspiring actor Jessica Mann - were overturned last year by New York’s highest court. The court ruled that it was improper to allow testimony from additional women whose allegations were not part of the charges.
That ruling led to the current retrial, where the accounts of Haley and Mann have again been presented, alongside new testimony from Sokola.
Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in California, following a separate conviction for rape and sexual assault involving a European actor in 2013. He has consistently denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
Source: AFP
