UK authorizes charges against Harvey Weinstein for indecent assault

(LONDON) — The U.K. has authorized charges of indecent assault against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

He is facing two charges of indecent assault against a woman from an incident that allegedly took place in August 1996 in London. The unnamed victim is now in her 50s, according to the CPS.

“Charges have been authorised against Harvey Weinstein, 70, following a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation,” the CPS said in a statement. “The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”

Weinstein would need to be formally charged in the U.K. before a trial could begin. It’s unclear when that could happen, as Weinstein is serving 23 years in prison after being convicted of first-degree criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape in February 2020. He was sentenced in March 2020.

A New York appeals court just upheld his conviction last week.

Weinstein, who co-founded the movie production company Miramax along with his brother, became the focus of the #MeToo movement in October 2017 when The New York Times published a story alleging Weinstein had paid at least eight settlements to women accusing him of sexual misconduct.

Dozens of women publicly accused Weinstein of similar misconduct in the following weeks. He was fired from his own production company less than a week later.

In addition to the charges he was convicted of in New York, Weinstein was extradited to Los Angeles in July 2021 and charged with four counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation.

He pleaded not guilty.

ABC News’ Alex Stone contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.