Roman Polanski controversy

[kenny]

Thirty years ago the Oscar-winning director confessed to giving champagne and a drug to a 13-year old girl and molesting her.
He fled the US right before being sentenced and has lived in France for 30 years.
He would not even return to the US to accept an Oscar for his film, "The Pianist" for fear of being arrested.

I initially felt he should be returned to the US to be sentenced and serve his time for his crime, but after reading what the victim, now 45, has said and done I''m not so sure any more.
Perhaps her wishes that charges should be dropped should be honored.

What the victim has to say

What do you think?

 

[Cehrabehra]

I don''t have a comment about the guilt or punishment of RP but I''ve never seen a pic of the girl before and it''s obvious he must have seen some of Sharon in her.

 

[Ara Ann]

While I understand the victim''s wishes to put this behind her, I can not agree with the idea that he should go unpunished, because of the dangerous precedent it would set for other criminals. The facts are, he drugged and raped a 13 year old girl, pleaded guilty and fled the country, to avoid going to jail. Replace his famous name with a ''regular Joe'' and we''d want to put him behind bars. Why should the fact that he is a famous director have any bearing on the crime he committed? Or that he fled the country and has been on the run all this time? He should face the same punishment any other sexual predator would face. Period.

 

[kenny]

I agree that his fame should not lessen the punishment.

I'm conflicted because on one hand punishing the man sends a signal to society and discourages future crimes.

But this woman has been victimized not only for a few hours by Polanski but by the press for 30+ years.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 9/29/2009 11:58:49 AM
Author: Ara Ann
While I understand the victim''s wishes to put this behind her, I can not agree with the idea that he should go unpunished, because of the dangerous precedent it would set for other criminals. The facts are, he drugged and raped a 13 year old girl, pleaded guilty and fled the country, to avoid going to jail. Replace his famous name with a ''regular Joe'' and we''d want to put him behind bars. Why should the fact that he is a famous director have any bearing on the crime he committed? Or that he fled the country and has been on the run all this time? He should face the same punishment any other sexual predator would face. Period.

ditto.

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 9/29/2009 11:59:04 AM
Author: kenny
I agree that his fame should not lessen the punishment.

I'm conflicted because on one hand punishing the man sends a signal to society and discourages future crimes.

But this woman has been victimized not only for a few hours by Polanski but by the press for 30+ years.

Then we should call for the press to leave this woman and her family alone, not for the courts to leave Polanski alone.

ETA - This statement from the victim is so true... She concluded: "The one thing that bothers me is that what happened to me in 1977 happens to girls every day, yet people are interested in me because Mr. Polanski is a celebrity."

 

[HollyS]

Roman Polanski controversy


There is no controversy. He molested a 13 year old girl. He admitted it then. Time won''t change the facts. Whatever the victim has to say is irrelevant: she was a minor at the time, he admitted guilt and fled prosecution knowing he would be convicted.

There is certainly no controversy in my mind. I say we cut off his nuts. Just before we lock him in a cell.

 

[westjenn]

While I am not saying whether I think Roman Polanski being arrested was right or wrong in my opinion, I do think that hearing all sides to the story is important before making judgements. I rented a documentary (from Netflix) that appeared on HBO. I''ve included the link below. It was very interesting and informative.
Documentary

 

[makemepretty]

It makes me sick when I hear people on t.v. saying it wasn''t real "rape". AGH!! It soooo was. 13 is such a young age(I have a 12 & 13 year old). He gave her alcohol and drugged her then had sex with her, I don''t care if it was a million years ago....he''s a criminal. How he''s gotten away with it for this long is criminal also. Sad that society doesn''t place more value on a teenage girl. HE ruined her life.

 

[Circe]

It''s not uncommon for rape victims or victims of domestic abuse to decline to press charges - the press attention, the public opinion (and here I used to like Whoopi Goldberg, Isabelle Adjani, etc.) can be an additional violation.

But, here''s the thing. Underage victims? The state will pursue charges on their behalf, as it did in her case. And he *pled guilty.* The facts of the case have been established, and, frankly, he now deserves to be punished twice over: once for raping a child, and once for attempting to thwart the justice system.

Personally, I hope he dies alone and in prison. He raped a child. There is no argument, no mitigating factor in the world, that can justify or excuse that, and I find that attempts that many are making nauseating ....

 

[Italiahaircolor]

This shouldn''t even be a matter up for discussion. He''s a rapist, he was sentence to jail and went on the lam. He should have an automatic 30 years added to his sentence for the time he lived as a fugitive.