New accuser comes forward against Harvey Weinstein

New sex crime accusations have come out against media mogul Harvey Weinstein, seven years after he became the central figure of the #MeToo accusations.

Weinstein, the disgraced head of Miramax, who still awaits retrial on the landmark #MeToo cases, yesterday pleaded not guilty to a new charge of forcing oral sex on a woman in a Manhattan hotel in spring 2006.

Prosecutors have released no details of the new accuser and Weinstein’s lawyer has denied the mogul has any knowledge of her.

The unnamed woman’s lawyer, Lindsay Goldbrum, said: “She will be fully prepared to speak her truth at trial to hold Mr. Weinstein accountable before a jury of his peers.” She said the woman doesn't want to be identified for now, and the law firm declined to say anything more about her or her accusation.

According to the indictment and another court document, the alleged assault – the specific charge is a “criminal sex act” – happened at a lower Manhattan hotel between 29 April and 6 May in 2006.

Weinstein has long maintained that he never engaged in any sexual activity that wasn’t consensual. Defence attorney Arthur Aidala reiterated Wednesday that his client “never forced himself on anyone.”

Aidala said he had “absolutely no clue” about the accuser’s identity or the specifics of the allegation.

72-year-old Weinstein, who is recovering from emergency surgery, came to court in a wheelchair, carrying two novels with him. He appeared to watch the proceeding intently.

In 2017, Weinstein became the focal point of the #MeToo movement when articles in the New Yorker and New York Times reported on accusations of sexual assault against him and the Hollywood industry’s wider complicity.

These allegations led to multiple lawsuits and a criminal conviction for rape and sexual assault in 2020, followed by a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles.

After being sentenced to decades in prison, a New York high court overturned his 2020 conviction. The Court of Appeals said the trial judge allowed testimony based on allegations that were not part of the case.

As a result, Weinstein faces a new trial which was set for November but is likely to face delays. New judge Curtis Farber set a 2 October hearing to discuss scheduling and whether the new charge should be included in the retrial.

Aidala said Weinstein wants to go to trial as soon as possible, but his defence team doesn't want to rush its work on addressing the new charge.

Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on at least one additional sex crime charge that wasn’t part of the earlier case. But the new indictment was sealed until his arraignment Wednesday.

Prosecutors had said that the grand jury heard evidence of up to three alleged assaults, in hotels and a residential building, from the mid-2000s to 2016.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the investigation continues.

“Thanks to this survivor who bravely came forward, Harvey Weinstein now stands indicted for an additional alleged violent sexual assault,” Bragg, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Weinstein remains in custody while awaiting his New York retrial.

The mogul has been at a Manhattan hospital following emergency surgery on 9 September to drain fluid around his heart and lungs. He takes as many as 19 different medications for his various health ailments, Aidala said.