Los Angeles, March 11 – The disgraced producer, Harvey Weinstein, has alleged that he was violently assaulted while serving his prison sentence.
The 73-year-old former movie producer, who was convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York and Los Angeles, described the incident and his daily life in custody, according to ‘Female First UK’.
He told ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ that he was “hit hard in the face” and left bleeding on the floor while incarcerated.
Weinstein is currently being held at Rikers Island while awaiting a retrial on charges related to the alleged rape of an actress at a hotel in Manhattan. He described prison life as isolating and dangerous, saying that he spends most of his time confined to his cell and has minimal interaction with other people while in custody.
He said, “One time while I was waiting to use the phone, I asked the man in front of me if he was finished. He got up and hit me hard in the face. I fell to the floor, bleeding everywhere. I was seriously injured”.
According to ‘Female First UK’, Weinstein also said that the prison officers asked him to identify his attacker, but he refused.
He said, “The police asked me who did it, but I couldn't say. You can't betray others. That's the rule of the jungle”.
Weinstein also described the conditions inside the facility, which is known as America's toughest jail, saying that it was hostile and unsafe. He added that he believes it is dangerous for him to interact with other inmates and that he spends long periods alone in his cell. Weinstein said, “It's too dangerous for me to be around anyone else. Other inmates get to go to the yard. But every time I'm out there, I feel like I'm under siege”.
He also said that he feared dying while in prison custody, as he said, “It's incredible to have the life that I had and the things that I did for society and not have the leniency to deal with me in a kinder way”.
He added, “Whatever they think I did wrong in my life, I didn't get the death penalty”. Harvey also said that he had lost contact with members of his family. Weinstein said that he had attempted to reach out to two of his daughters but had not received responses.