Roman Polanski: Child Sexual Predator

Roman Polanski is walking talking evidence of worldwide indifference toward child sexual abuse. How else do you explain that this contemptible child sexual predator continues to walk free?  How else do you explain that he remains friends with so many of the world’s rich and powerful?  How else do you explain that governments protect him, the wealthy continue to invest in his projects, that talented artists compete to perform for him?

In 1977 Roman Polanski, then 43 years old, plied 13 year old Samantha Geimer with alcohol and drugs, took nude photographs of her ostensibly for publication in a French magazine, and then forcibly sodomized her and had sexual intercourse with her. Weeks later Polanski was indicted but worked out an unbelievably favorable plea deal with the prosecutor. Prior to sentencing, Polanski was sent to a prison facility for 45 days to complete a psychiatric evaluation.

Upon his release after the evaluation, Polanski had expected that the judge would go along with the prosecutor’s deal and his sentence would involve no further jail time. However, the judge balked. To the judge’s credit, he opted not to sign off on the deal and planned to set it aside. That meant that Polanski could have faced several years in prison. Polanski bolted and fled to France where he has remained under French protection.

Several years ago the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office stepped up its efforts to extradite Polanski.  Prosecutors knew that Polanski traveled frequently to his ski lodge in Switzerland, so in 2010 they arranged for Swiss authorities to arrest him and hold him for an extradition hearing. Unfortunately, because of the failure by our own U.S. Justice Department to supply information requested by the Swiss authorities, the Swiss courts released Polanski.

Now the Polish courts have a chance to make the right move. Let’s see what they do. Keep an eye on this one.

Former Hollywood director Roman Polanski will attend a court hearing next week in Poland where a request for his extradition to the United States will be examined.

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