Prosecutors in Los Angeles have formally declined to charge fugitive director Roman Polanski in connection with an allegation he molested a woman when she was a minor in 1975, saying the statute of limitations has expired.
Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee formally declined the LAPD case on December 19 after she was provided the details by Los Angeles Police Detective Greg Stearns.
Last month, after the investigation was initiated, Josh Rubenstein, the LAPD communications director, said the department is committed to investigating such claims because even if charges cannot be brought, the evidence could aid in the prosecution of other cases.
Over the years, at least six women have accused Polanski of sexually abusing them, with most of them saying the abuse happened when they were minors. Despite the Paris-based director’s status as a fugitive and repeated efforts to get him back by prosecutors, he remains active in the film industry and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The latest LAPD report involves Marianne Barnard, an artist who has accused the director of molesting her during a 1975 photo shot at Will Rogers State Beach after he had her pose naked with a fur coat. Barnard reported the allegation to police in October.
She has also started an online petition to kick Polanski out of the film academy. Polanski, 84, has denied Barnard’s accusations and through his representative said he has no knowledge of her.
Because of the statute of limitations in California, child sexual assault cases cannot be prosecuted on incidents that occurred before 1992.
Polanski, who won a directing Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist, remains a fugitive after fleeing the US in 1978 before sentencing in Los Angeles County Superior Court after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
In the transcripts of grand jury testimony in that case, Polanski’s victim, Samantha Geimer, said the director had given her alcohol and told her to take off her blouse. The 13-year-old said she was afraid of Polanski and repeatedly informed him she had to go home.
Polanski was indicted on charges of rape, sodomy and furnishing drugs to a minor and was offered a deal and pleaded guilty only to unlawful intercourse. He served 42 days in prison, where he underwent diagnostic testing. When he was released before formal sentencing, he fled.
Geimer has publicly supported Polanski’s view that he has served his time. He paid her a civil settlement of $500,000 (Dh1.8 million) plus interest.
Polanski has managed to avoid US extradition efforts from Switzerland and Poland in recent years.
But he has faced other allegations of sexual abuse. In 2010, Charlotte Lewis accused Polanski of forcing himself on her when she was 16 and auditioning for a role in his movie in 1983. Then in August, a woman identified only as Robin by attorney Gloria Allred told reporters that Polanski sexually victimised her in 1973 when she was 16.
