Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein will not take the stand in his New York sex crimes retrial, his spokesperson said.
According to the Associated Press on Sunday the disgraced former executive was willing to testify, however his legal team deemed it a safer strategic bet to keep him off the stand.
The New York court was not in session on Monday and the defence is expected to begin closing arguments on Tuesday, nearly six weeks after the hearing began.
Weinstein, 73, is charged with two counts of first degree criminal sexual act and one count of third degree rape, all involving different accusers.
Prosecutors refiled charges of first degree criminal sexual act, specifically sexual assault on former TV production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006, and third degree rape, involving actress Jessica Mann in 2013.
Both charges formed the basis of Weinstein’s 2020 New York trial, which resulted in his conviction and 23-year sentence and marked a milestone in the #MeToo movement. The conviction was overturned by New York Court of Appeals last year when appellate judges found the original trial wrongly admitted testimony of “prior bad acts” against women who were not complainants in the trial and testified to show Weinstein had a propensity to commit such acts.
Weinstein has faced a new charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree that allegedly occurred in 2006 involving former Polish model and actress Kaja Sokola. She has claimed Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she was 16.
Mann, Haley, and Sokola all consented to be identified during the hearing.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
