Justice! Polanski Arrested in Switzerland

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Chalk one up for the Swiss for arresting this justice-evading, child-raping prick. Hope he gets extradited to the U.S. to stand trial and spends the rest of his miserable life in a 3'x5' cell.

I have no sympathy for this guy and just because his victim apparently has developed a soft spot for him over the years, I say throw his azz in prison where it belongs - preferably where he'll get a little of what he dished out.

Karma is such a beeyatch for people like him.

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Polanski arrested in connection with sex charge - CNN.com

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(CNN) -- Filmmaker Roman Polanski has been arrested on an arrest warrant stemming from a decades-old sex charge, Swiss police said Sunday.
Roman Polanski attends a film premiere in Paris, France, in June 2009.

Roman Polanski attends a film premiere in Paris, France, in June 2009.

The Academy Award-winning director pleaded guilty in 1977 to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, acknowledging he had sex with a 13-year-old girl, but fled the United States before he could be sentenced. U.S. authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in 1978.

He was taken into custody trying to enter Switzerland on Saturday, Zurich police said.

Polanski, 76, has lived in France for decades to avoid being arrested if he enters the U.S. He declined to collect his Academy Award for Best Director in person when he won it for "The Pianist" in 2003.

He was en route to the Zurich Film Festival, which is holding a tribute to him, when he was arrested by Swiss authorities, the festival said.

Polanski was nominated for best director Oscars for "Tess" and "Chinatown," and for best writing for "Rosemary's Baby," which he also directed.

"Roman Polanski, who is one of the greatest film directors of all time, would have been honored for his life's work in Zurich today," the film festival said in a statement.

"However yesterday, on Saturday, he was taken into custody while attempting to enter Switzerland due to a request by U.S. authorities in connection with an arrest warrant from 1978."

The Swiss Justice Ministry said Polanski was put "in provisional detention." But whether he can be extradited to the United States "can be established only after the extradition process judicially has been finalised," a ministry spokesman said in an e-mail.

"It is possible to appeal at the federal penal court of justice against an arrest warrant in view to extradition as well as against an extradition decision," the spokesman wrote. "Their decisions can be taken further to the federal court of justice."

Polanski was accused of plying a 13-year-old girl with champagne and a sliver of a quaalude tablet and performing various sex acts, including intercourse, with her during a photo shoot at actor Jack Nicholson's house. He was 43 at the time.

Nicholson was not at home, but his girlfriend at the time, actress Anjelica Huston, was.

According to a probation report contained in the filing, Huston described the victim as "sullen."

"She appeared to be one of those kind of little chicks between -- could be any age up to 25. She did not look like a 13-year-old scared little thing," Huston said.

She added that Polanski did not strike her as the type of man who would force himself on a young girl.

"I don't think he's a bad man," she said in the report. "I think he's an unhappy man."

Polanski pleaded guilty to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

There have been repeated attempts to settle the case over the years, but the sticking point has always been Polanski's refusal to return to attend hearings.

Prosecutors have consistently argued that it would be a miscarriage of justice to allow a man to go free who "drugged and raped a 13-year-old child."

Polanski's lawyers tried earlier this year to have the charges thrown out, but a Los Angeles judge rejected the request.

In doing so, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza left the door open to reconsider his ruling if Polanski shows up in court.

Espinoza also appeared to acknowledge problems with the way Polanski's case was handled years ago.

According to court documents, Polanski, his lawyer and the prosecutor thought they'd worked out a deal that would spare Polanski from prison and let the young victim avoid a public trial.

But the original judge in the case, who is now dead, first sent the director to maximum-security prison for 42 days while he underwent psychological testing. Then, on the eve of his sentencing, the judge told attorneys he was inclined to send Polanski back to prison for another 48 days.

Polanski fled the United States for France, where he was born.

In the February hearing, Espinoza mentioned a documentary film that depicts backroom deals between prosecutors and a media-obsessed judge who was worried his public image would suffer if he didn't send Polanski to prison.

"It's hard to contest some of the behavior in the documentary was misconduct," said Espinoza.

But he declined to dismiss the case entirely.

Legal experts said such a ruling would have been extremely rare.

Polanski's victim is among those calling for the case to be tossed out.

Samantha Geimer filed court papers in January saying, "I am no longer a 13-year-old child. I have dealt with the difficulties of being a victim, have surmounted and surpassed them with one exception.

"Every time this case is brought to the attention of the Court, great focus is made of me, my family, my mother and others. That attention is not pleasant to experience and is not worth maintaining over some irrelevant legal nicety, the continuation of the case."

Geimer, now 45, married and a mother of three, sued Polanski and received an undisclosed settlement. She long ago came forward and made her identity public -- mainly, she said, because she was disturbed by how the criminal case had been handled.

Following Espinoza's ruling earlier this year, Geimer's lawyer, Larry Silver, said he was disappointed and that Espinoza "did not get to the merits and consider the clear proof of both judicial and prosecutorial corruption."

He argued in court that had "Mr. Polanski been treated fairly" his client would not still be suffering because of publicity almost 32 years after the crime.

Polanski was arrested two days after one of his wife's killers died.

The director's pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate, and four others were butchered by members of the Manson "family" in August 1969. Polanski was filming in Europe at the time.

By her own admission, Susan Atkins held the eight-months-pregnant Tate down as she pleaded for mercy, stabbing the 26-year-old actress 16 times.

Atkins, 61, died Thursday. She had been suffering from terminal brain cancer.

[speeder]

He's already stood trial so he will not "stand trial" again.

[gassy]

Too bad. I was hoping his cellmate would have a giant Pianist.

[Tobra]

He needs to be sentenced for original offense.

Denis, I am pretty sure it is a felony to flee the country when you are convicted of a felony and out on bail, so he is likely to be charged and tried for that as well. Nice try though. It is beyond be why anyone would be an apologist for a pedophile.

Perhaps he will die in prison, like OJ and Bernie Madoff.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Tobra

It is beyond be why anyone would be an apologist for a pedophile.

Exactly. He drugged and sodomized a 13 year old girl. (Oh! But he's an artist!)

[speeder]

Who's apologising for him?

[Moses]

Originally Posted by speeder

Who's apologising for him?

The French government.

CBC News - Media - French officials 'dumbfounded' by Polanski arrest

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Why wasn't Huston charged as an accessory, or at least for child endangerment?

"She could've been 25".....what boolsheet.

[dtw]

Originally Posted by Moses

The French government.

CBC News - Media - French officials 'dumbfounded' by Polanski arrest

Not to mention Dottore. He should be along shortly.

[Rick Lee]

Can you imagine the media circus if he gets extradited back here? And this trial would probably be in Santa Monica, which means it's gonna be every bit as big a circus as the OJ trial. Hey, the guy needs to be punished. But I'm not sure making another lawyer rich and the endless media coverage are gonna serve justice to anyone. Why can't we just create a Rainbow Six-type crew to quietly go after folks who've wronged children?

[rouxroux]

Maybe he'll try out for the prison football team. He'll start as a tight end and quickly become a "wide receiver"...I hope he gets what's coming to him, the stupid bastard.

[Jeff Higgins]

His victim has asked that this be dropped, pleading that she has been through enough already. As much as it would feel good to punish the guy, I think honoring Samantha Geimer's wishes is more important at this point.

[Jim Sims]

He's 76, he effectively has evaded justice. I wonder if the Swiss will also now buckle down and send several hundred million "evaded" tax dollars back to the U.S or if they'll plead they don't have sufficient law enforcement resources.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by gassy

Too bad. I was hoping his cellmate would have a giant Pianist.

10+

Someone to show him on a first hand basis what rape is really all about.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

His victim has asked that this be dropped, pleading that she has been through enough already. As much as it would feel good to punish the guy, I think honoring Samantha Geimer's wishes is more important at this point.

She was paid off years ago....

[GH85Carrera]

Punish him for running!

[Jeff Higgins]

At what point does the need for satisfaction, for that pound of flesh, overshadow the need for justice? At what point does the desire to see a prominant figure fall, the desire to see him "get his", become more important than the victim's desires? Seems most of you have passed those marks in this case. So, if the victim wants it dropped, who would you be pursuing this for, yourselves?

[Tobra]

Mr Higgins she was paid to want it dropped, and it is not up to her anyway, never was.

[emcon5]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

At what point does the need for satisfaction, for that pound of flesh, overshadow the need for justice? At what point does the desire to see a prominant figure fall, the desire to see him "get his", become more important than the victim's desires? Seems most of you have passed those marks in this case. So, if the victim wants it dropped, who would you be pursuing this for, yourselves?

How about the principal of the thing. You commit a crime, confess, and are convicted, running away and hiding doesn't make it go away. The fact that he is famous is irrelevant, if he was an unknown janitor, I would be saying the same thing.

Drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl is pretty serious, for you guys thinking this should be dropped, where do you draw the line?

You can read the victim's account of her rape in the grand jury testimony here: The Smoking Gun: Archive

Keep in mind that this is a 13 year old girl and a 44 year old man.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Mr Higgins she was paid to want it dropped, and it is not up to her anyway, never was.

The victim has no say as to whether or not the case is pursued? Interesting. Even if she is sick and tired of having her name put out there, and the disruption that brings to her now quiet life? Even if she does not want to open old wounds, to revisit painful memories?

You guys don't care about her. You will gleefully steamroller right over her in your zeal to nail Polanski. It's not about her, not about the victim anymore. So what if she gets hurt again? Damn it, you want Polanski, at any cost. Even if it means making her the victim again.

You guys have convinced yourselves that it's all about the money for her. That the only reason she wants to drop it is because she got paid. How shallow of you. I would suspect that at this point in her life, that has nothing to do with it anymore. She just wants to forget the whole thing and move on. You won't let her. She will just have to put up with it, because you want Polanski, damn it. She's unimportant.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.