Rapist Weinstein jailed for 23 years

NEW YORK: Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a New York judge on Wednesday for rape and sexual assault in a landmark case for the #MeToo movement.

Justice James Burke ignored the pleas of Weinstein’s defense team to give their client the minimum of five years behind bars, issuing a heavy sentence close to the maximum 29 years allowed. Earlier Weinstein told the court he was "totally confused" about what was happening.

"I’m worried about this country," he said, adding that his "empathy" had in the three years since accusations against him ignited the #MeToo global reckoning against men abusing positions of power. The sentencing capped a sensational downfall for the once-powerful 67-year-old, who lost much of his personal fortune estimated at $150 million as he became a pariah cast from the entertainment industry.

Nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, have come forward alleging 40 years of vile predatory behavior by the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love" and numerous other critical and box office hits.

He was brought from the notorious Rikers Island jail into the Manhattan criminal court in a wheelchair shortly before 9:30 am (1330 GMT) to learn his fate. Weinstein was found guilty of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree on February 24, in a verdict hailed by the #MeToo movement.