Harvey Weinstein arrives at court on ZIMMERFRAME as his bail is hiked to £3.8million for ‘mishandling’ ankle tag
HARVEY Weinstein arrived at court today using a ZIMMERFRAME as his bail was hiked to £3.8million over allegations he had mishandled his electronic ankle bracelet.
The shamed movie mogul, 67, accused of sex attacks by several women, appeared frail and dishevelled as he pushed the walking aid – which was fitted with two tennis balls at its base – outside a court in New York.
This follows a similar appearance last week where the Oscar winning producer was helped into court by a burly minder.
His lawyer today said he will be undergoing back surgery on Thursday.
Weinstein, who is due to stand trial on January 6, is accused by prosecutors intentionally leaving his ankle bracelet at home for hours at a time.
Today, Judge James Burke rejected prosecution calls to put the filmmaker – who produced movies such as Good Will Hunting and Shakespeare In Love – in jail over the alleged violation.
But Burke warned that he would revoke his bail and issue a warrant for his arrest if other issues crop up.
BAIL HIKE
“If you have any further medical issues, the court will not be terribly understanding,” Burke said.
Weinstein was calm during the hearing and indicated that the surgery would help ensure his appearance at his trial.
The disgraced mogul is scheduled to stand trial in New York City beginning January 6 on rape and sexual assault charges.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to charges he raped a woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and performed a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006.
He had been free on £760,000 bail and maintains that any sexual activity was consensual.
For the new bail, Weinstein’s defence team chose an option that lets him meet the obligation by putting up $2 million through a bail bondsman.
That amount includes the $1 million he had already put up for bail.
Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi said at a hearing Friday that Weinstein has repeatedly, purposely left at home a piece of the monitoring technology that keeps the ankle bracelet activated.
That has left his whereabouts unrecorded for hours at a time, she said.
Weinstein’s lawyer Donna Rotunno has denied it was anything deliberate, blaming technical glitches like dead batteries and said it had nothing to do with manipulation of the bracelet.
However, she acknowledged that on at least one occasion, the Oscar winner had left part of the device at house.
MOST READ IN NEWS
But today, Illuzzi told the court that the person monitoring Weinstein does not believe the problems were technical glitches.
While the monitoring now appears to be working, the prosecutor said she thought that was because of the threat of new bail.
After the hearing, Rotunno countered that.
She said: “There were no violations. These were technical issues related to a battery. Ms. Illuzzi makes mountains out of mole hills.
In recent months, Weinstein has been spotted hobnobbing at New York City nightclubs and getting jeered at a recent actors showcase.
