Roman Polanski’s joke of a rape trial begs the question: is he about to get off TWICE?
For those unfamiliar with the particulars of the case, here’s the straight dope from Wikipedia:
In 1977, Polanski was arrested in Los Angeles and pleaded guilty to “unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor”, a 13-year-old girl (he was 44 years old at the time).[8] Released after a 42-day psychiatric evaluation, Polanski fled to France, has had a U.S. arrest warrant outstanding since 1978,[9] and an international arrest warrant since 2005.[10]Polanski for many years avoided visits to countries that were likely to extradite him, such as the United Kingdom, and traveled mostly between France, where he resides, and Poland. As a French citizen, he was protected in France by the country’s limited extradition with the U.S.[11] On September 26, 2009, he was arrested, at the request of U.S. authorities, by Swiss police, on arrival at Zürich Airport while trying to enter Switzerland[10] to pick up a lifetime achievement “Golden Icon Award” from the Zurich Film Festival.[12][13]
And now, there’s word that his victim is arguing that Polanski has “suffered enough,” adding fuel to the fire of the rest of film community, which is holding him up as some kind of fucked-up martyr. I don’t understand it at all.
Rape is rape. I think there should never be a statute of limitations on the crime, and I think all victims should be encouraged to confront and help convict their attackers, whether they’re deranged strangers or incredibly successful Hollywood figureheads.
The fact that Polanski has had a tormented life of his own, having escaped from the ravages of Nazi Germany and lived through the tragic, graphic murder of his wife, shouldn’t excuse his behavior. It should only make you wonder if these things contributed to his own sadistic nature.
