UK Authorises Sex Assault Charges Against Hollywood Mogul Harvey Weinstein

British prosecutors on Wednesday said they had authorised London's Metropolitan Police to charge Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein with sexual assault charges.

Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault and jailed for 23 years in the United States in February 2020, in a landmark verdict for the #MeToo movement.

Last week, he lost a bid to get the conviction overturned at a New York appeals court.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the 70-year-old film producer was facing two counts of indecent assault against one woman in the British capital.

The Met said separately the alleged victim was now in her 50s. The offences are alleged to have taken place between July 31 and August 31, 1996.

Weinstein is awaiting trial on separate sexual assault charges in California.

Widespread sexual abuse and harassment allegations against Weinstein exploded in 2017.

In total, nearly 90 women including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek have accused Weinstein of harassment or assault.

The "Pulp Fiction" producer has maintained that all his sexual encounters were consensual.

As allegations poured in, the Met said it was investigating a string of sexual assault claims against Weinstein.

The CPS brings criminal cases in England and Wales and authorises the police to bring charges after assessing the case against a suspect.

The head of the CPS special crime division, Rosemary Ainslie, said the charges against Weinstein followed "a review of the evidence" in a Met police investigation.

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