On the witness stand again after five years, former actress Jessica Mann cried as she told a New York jury how disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein allegedly raped her in a 2013 Midtown hotel room.
Ms Mann, now 38, sobbed as she recounted the alleged assault at the DoubleTree Hotel in Midtown on March 18, 2013. She described how Weinstein trapped her in the room, injected himself with a substance she later learned was used to treat erectile dysfunction, and then forced penetrative sex on her.
"This is about the moment where I just gave up," she said, recalling how Harvey Weinstein allegedly blocked the door and asked her to undress, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
After the encounter, Ms Mann said she found a needle in the trash labelled with a word resembling "necro-something."
"I found on Google that it basically meant 'dead penis,'" she told the jury, explaining how the medication could only be used a limited number of times. "I was freaked out. Did I get exposed to something? It was scary."
Despite the traumatic incident, Ms Mann testified that she continued a complex relationship with Harvey Weinstein afterwards. "I just decided to have a relationship with him. I'm sorry if that's a bad decision. I just did. I also just wanted to buy time because I really didn't know how to handle it," she said, crying on the stand.
She described Harvey Weinstein as "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", referring to the 19th-century gothic horror novella about an outwardly respectable man who commits shocking crimes.
"Sometimes he validated me so much... but the word 'No' was like a trigger to him. This other personality, I called it 'The Monster side', would come out," she said.
Before the 2013 hotel room rape incident, Ms Mann said Weinstein previously performed unwanted oral sex on her during their first private meeting in Los Angeles. She told the jury that he invited her and a friend to his hotel room on the pretext of giving them a script for Vampire Academy.
Once alone with her in the bedroom, Ms Mann said Harvey Weinstein forced himself on her despite her resistance, describing the encounter as a "battle." Though shaken, Ms Mann testified that she decided to enter a relationship with him afterwards, hoping it would make sense of the traumatic experience. "I just thought it would take the pain away," she said in court.
Ms Mann said she feared speaking out at the time due to his influence and his powerful connections, including with former US President Bill Clinton. "I remember imagining if I ever said anything, he would call his friend and the Secret Service would come get me," she said, as per The NY Post.
Ms Mann added she never accepted money from Harvey Weinstein. "It just felt like you're trying to pay me like a dirty prostitute. I never wanted his dirty money. I wasn't for sale."
The retrial comes after Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction, where he was found guilty of third-degree rape against Ms Mann - was overturned. He now faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the most serious rape charge related to Ms Mann's account.
Jessica Mann is the third and final accuser to testify in the retrial. Earlier, former teen model Kaja Sokola and former production assistant Miriam "Mimi" Haley also took the stand, alleging similar assaults by Harvey Weinstein. Prosecutors are presenting each of these women's testimonies not only for the specific charges but to show a pattern of predatory behaviour.
The 73-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
