Should Roman Polanski Go To Prison For 1977 Rape?

Roman Polanski is still facing legal trouble over a 1977 statutory rape case in which the director was charged with having ongoing sexual relations with Samantha Greimer, who was underage at the time. Polanski has expressed a desire to put this matter behind him and return to the United States, but Los Angeles district attorneys are unwilling to discuss the matter, until Roman returns to the U.S. Facing prison time, Mr. Polanski had fled the country and has been living in France for the past 40 years.

Lawyers For Roman Polanski Attempt To Clear His Name

Roman Polanski has had his lawyers working towards bringing him home, asking a Los Angeles judge to unseal testimony from a 2010 transcript of Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson in regards to the original 1977 case, reports People. Whatever those transcripts may reveal may never be known, if Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee has her way. She has urged Judge Scott Gordon to deny the requests until Polanski presents himself and the judge has gone along with Hanisee’s requests.

“It is the People’s position that resolution of this case requires the presence of the defendant,” the deputy district attorney wrote in her court documents.

Initially, Roman had a plea deal to serve just 42 days in jail for the statutory rape charges, but the director suspected that the judge on the case was going to drop the deal. Instead of waiting for his suspicions to be confirmed, Polanski fled the country and has been living in Europe for the past four decades.

In her court statements, Ms. Hanisee indicates that she’s willing to work with Polanski, but is adamant about not letting the director call the shots. She says Roman must appear in court and end his fugitive status, before any deals can be made.

“The defendant has many options before him if he returns to this jurisdiction,” said Hanisee. “He can return to this court and argue for a favorable sentence. He can return to court and make a motion to withdraw his plea and face the possibility of a trial on all of the original charges. He can file an appeal of any order of the court to the Courts of Appeal. He can negotiate with the People.”

“What he cannot do is dictate outcomes from afar while insulating himself from any potential adverse consequence,” she added.

Samantha Geimer Wants Roman Polanski To Be Free: “I Forgive Him”

According to Daily Mail, Roman’s victim, Samantha Geimer, has forgiven the director and hopes he’ll soon be able to return to the United States without their case still hanging over his head. She says Polanski never intended to cause her harm and adds that he’s apologized, which is more than enough justice for her. Geimer feels that bad things happen in life and she says she knows worse things are happening all of the time, so she doesn’t want to continue to dwell on something that happened over 40 years ago.

The court documents which Polanski’s lawyers are trying to unseal will show that, according to the plea agreement, Roman was only required to serve 48 days in jail. He served 42 of those days in China State Prison. In exchange for the lighter sentence, Mr. Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Roman indicates that Judge Rittenband threw away the plea deal and instead insisted that he serve 50 years in prison for his crime.

Earlier last month, Polanski was compelled to step down from hosting the Cesar Film Awards, which is France’s version of the Oscars, due to the controversy surrounding his rape case.

“This controversy has been generated by totally unfounded information, forty years after the issue in question. It has deeply saddened Roman Polanski and his family,” a rep for Mr. Polanski stated.

Roman has expressed a desire to return home, so he can visit the grave of his late wife, Sharon Tate.

[Featured Image by Dominique Charriau/Getty Images]