Roman Polanksi - Justice?

[Sternenlied]

Well, I think compared to a life in the USA, Hollywood even maybe, the invasion of his privacy in Europe wasn't nearly as bad as it might have been somewhere else. In general I still don't see why this should have any impact on being guilty of rape. He chose to live his life ... he could just as well have stopped making movies, chosen not to make any public appearances. Obviously he didn't want to.

After fleeing the country after pleading guilty. I think punishment for that is quite appropriate as well. I am not sure if he simply was too much of a coward to face consequences of if he was hoping the rape might fall under the statute of limitations but either way - I see no sound reason why he (or anyone else for that matter) should be allowed to escape punishment altogether. Age must not be a factor.

Of course I honour your opinion but I have to say I think it is gravely misguided.

[dashrendar44]

Yeah...I'm not saying hes innocent or deserves to get off scot free or anything, just...the full punishment seems strange considering his exile, the victims forgiveness and his age. I mean, community service would be pretty bullshit to give for this though, you know? It's not so much that he shouldn't be punished, as that's not it, just that I can't think of a way to punish him that is fair to him as a person yet fitting to the crimes.

[somedude]

I had a few facts muddled on the legal details of the Polanski case. Polanski was sentenced to 90s days in prison, served 42 days and was released on probation. Then the judge in the case unprecedentedly negated the plea bargain and planned to resentence Polanski, which is highly questionable from a legal standpoint. Rather than going to court in a case he probably would have won Polanski fled the United States and now with his arrest faces extradition to the US to face the courts over the original crime and for failure to appear.
The victim in the case has filed to have the charges dropped not wanting more publicity and media attention. However even if the original criminal case is discharged with no further punishment for Polanski he still faces the failure to appear charge which could lead to a prison sentence.
My personal thoughts on the whole case are that back when Polanski was originally charged with rape by use of drugs and several other serious felonies he shouldn't have been allowed to plead guilty to a much lesser charge! He should never have been released on bail let alone given such a rediculously short sentence then let out 42 days into it. Spending the last thirty years in prison for his crimes would have been just!
But now it's all up to the courts to figure out what to do with this mess.

[MADDOGMCMANAMAN]

I think you have to differentiate betweeen:

a) Did he have unlawful sex with a child due to some mitigating factors ie. that she looked much older and lied about her age etc.

(is what i presumed)

or...

b) Did he knowingly drug and then sexually assault and rape a child.

(what actually happened)

After i found out it was *b* that was it - he must pay whatever price can be xtracted from him as far as i am concerned.

[pantyhosethief]

I feel very sorry for his victim, now in her mid-forties. Apparently she has forgiven him. I hope for her sake she really has, and has truly moved on, and doesn't just feel she must say that to try and avoid having the whole episode dragged back up.

[FuckingRotter]

Why don't America just pop a few bunker busters in Switzerlands arse?

[Stainless Steel Rat]

More to the point, if getting him was so important to show the world justice then why wait so long? If we really wanted him the US could have covertly snatched him and claimed it was the operation of a "rogue" bounty hunter. Or we could even have put a high price on Polanski's head with the express purpose of attracting the flavor-of-the-month bounty hunter to try and take him down. Polanski isn't singularly unique in fleeing justice, Ira Einhorn ran off to France and was convicted in absentia of murder, yet he remained free for more than 20 years. It is a cold hard reality that in this world sometimes folks do "get away with murder" either literally or figuratively. While I'm all for justice being served I think the US simply waited too long in this case.

As to the idea that celebrities get "special" treatment? Sure they do, anyone who doesn't realize that is fooling themselves, if you have enough money and fame you can get away with nearly anything including killing someone. It's been done before and it will be done again. It's only when your fame is waning that you become vulnerable to being held accountable for your actions. Take Phil Spector, it still took years to convict him {in a case that to me looked pretty open and shut} and he's well past the height of his fame. Had he killed Lana Clarkson 20 years ago he would have walked away from the trial a free man with millions of people believing that he was innocent

Most importantly for me is that the victim herself wants this affair to be over with, if Polanski is returned to the US you can be assured the media circus will ramp up and she'll be dragged unwillingly back into the limelight. That alone says to me it's time to simply close the book on this case out of respect for the victim and her wishes. Let the case simply serve as an example and a warning for the future that if you want justice don't wait for 20+ years to go after someone who is "hiding in plain sight"

I think he will likely dodge any further hardships from this case so I fear it's not going to be justice but justice denied, just a few additional thoughts on this thread

Cheers all from the Stainless Steel Rat

[batffink]

Serves him right, the short-arsed little pervert. The cult of the personality often blinds people to "celebrity's" failures and transgressions but I hope not this time. I hope they put him in a cell with a big buck shirt-lifter.

[Crotch_Ripper]

Guilty

[batffink]

EXACTLY what I had in mind. Thanks CR.

[BeautyQueen]

I totally agree with the general consensus of this post
What he did was to a CHILD...not a late teen where age could've easily been mistaken to a CHILD.
Also, he admitted guilt then fled and in addition he did give her alcohol and pills so he knows what he did was completely wrong. How anyone could back him because he an "artist" is dumbfounding. He makes movies big deal, he's still not above the law.

[demoncat]

In all fairness, one has to respect that the victim herself forgives him for what he did and insists he not go to jail. The only reason, THE ONLY REASON, he fled was because the judge was going to use Polanski as a media spectacle, something the victim stated she did not approve of. Polanski had already made a deal for jail time and was prepared to carry out his punishment when the judge pronounced he intended to scrap that plan and seek the maximum punishment. Solely for the sake of publicity. There are quite a few people, even those who want Polanski to serve some time, who stated the judge fucked the whole thing up and was comletely out of line.
Did Polanski do a terrible thing? Beyond a doubt. Should he be punished? He kinda already has.
But given that was the only time he did something like that, I think we need to assign priorities and deal with REPEAT offenders. Like the scum that repeatedly rape their own young and Child Protective Services does nothing. Far worse than what happened 30 years ago. Polanski has for the most part lived in prison those three decades, the prison of isolation. Avoiding places that would extradite him. Selfish, yes, but a prison of its own.
We have FAR bigger problems to waste our time on Polanski. It pisses me off hearing people bitch and whine about this, especially when I read articles about adults raping even more, and far younger, children...and the courts practically release them with little more than a slap on the wrist and are forgotten within a month. Things that are happening now. Not years ago. NOW.
That's where 'Justice' needs to be served. The repeat offenders first. When ALL of them are taken care of, then we'll have the right to pursue Polanski.