Sex crime allegations
In 1977, Polanski, then aged 44, became embroiled in a scandal involving 13-year-old Samantha Geimer (then known as Samantha Gailey). It ultimately led to Polanski's guilty plea to the charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.[23]

According to Geimer, Polanski asked Geimer's mother if he could photograph the girl for the French edition of Vogue, which Polanski had been invited to guest-edit. Her mother allowed a private photo shoot. According to Geimer in a 2003 interview, "Everything was going fine; then he asked me to change, well, in front of him." She added, "It didn't feel right, and I didn't want to go back to the second shoot."

DHayes Photography wrote:
ROFLMAO!  So all accused rapists who manage to hide out for 30 years win a "Get Out of Jail Free" card?  I like his movies, but Polanski had the resources to settle this decades ago.

I think that Samantha Geimer should have some say in the matter.

DHayes Photography wrote:
ROFLMAO!  So all accused rapists who manage to hide out for 30 years win a "Get Out of Jail Free" card?  I like his movies, but Polanski had the resources to settle this decades ago.

Especially given that the attitudes about these things were laxer then vs. today.

In a 2003 interview,[32] Samantha Geimer said, "Straight up, what he did to me was wrong. But I wish he would return to America so the whole ordeal can be put to rest for both of us." Furthermore, "I'm sure if he could go back, he wouldn't do it again. He made a terrible mistake but he's paid for it".

In 2008, Geimer stated in an interview that she wishes Polanski would be forgiven, “I think he's sorry, I think he knows it was wrong. I don't think he's a danger to society. I don't think he needs to be locked up forever and no one has ever come out ever — besides me — and accused him of anything. It was 30 years ago now. It's an unpleasant memory ... (but) I can live with it."[33]

It seems she's willing to let it go, and to me her opinion means more than anyone else's.

rp_photo wrote:

DHayes Photography wrote:
ROFLMAO!  So all accused rapists who manage to hide out for 30 years win a "Get Out of Jail Free" card?  I like his movies, but Polanski had the resources to settle this decades ago.

I think that Samantha Geimer should have some say in the matter.


Especially given that the attitudes about these things were laxer then vs. today.

He drugged and raped a 13 year old when he was 43.  Attitudes about those things have not changed in 30 years.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/po … over1.html

DHayes Photography wrote:
He drugged and raped a 13 year old when he was 43.  Attitudes about those things have not changed in 30 years.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/po … over1.html

In end, he was just a nasty GWC.

Digital Vinyl wrote:
He committed a crime, fled the country before trial..........

Finally is getting brought to justice

PWNED!

no.. he fled the country after the trial and before the sentencing...

"But the original judge in the case, who is now dead, first sent the director to maximum-security prison for 42 days while he underwent psychological testing. Then, on the eve of his sentencing, the judge told attorneys he was inclined to send Polanski back to prison for another 48 days."

rp_photo wrote:
I wonder what's lead to Switzerland's backing away from being a bastion of privacy?

First they agree to share bank account info with the IRS and now they arrest Polanski.

They always have from what I know.  Standard policy.  Related to crime.

To answer your question.  Terrorism.  That's the justification.

You've always been able to hide money from your wife, but not from world governments.  (swiss)

rp_photo wrote:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/27/zurich.roman.polanski.arrested/index.html

Given the long time since the alleged crime ocurred, do others think this was appropriate?

I can't decide at this point.

Should the now 45 year-old victim should have any say?

Can't decide?

Let's see... suppose 30 years ago a woman was beaten within an inch of her life... the person who did it, pleads guilty and while awaiting sentencing, flees to, oh let's say Paris. before he can be brought back, the victim recieves a threatening letter so she refuses to testify against her attacker.
Should the attacker never have to face his sentence, just because the victim was too intimidated to testify against him?
Granted thats not the case with Polanski, but it all equals out. Just because the vistim refuses to co-operate, does not negate the fact that Polanki had sex with a 13 year old and that is illegal.
Time has nothing to do with it. If she'd waited 30 years to report it, yeah, he should never have been charged. But he was charged at the time so that makes a difference here.
I'm glad they finally got the dirtbag.

rp_photo wrote:
I wonder what's lead to Switzerland's backing away from being a bastion of privacy?

First they agree to share bank account info with the IRS and now they arrest Polanski.

Privacy has nothing to do with catching criminals. And believe it or not, the Swiss government has shared banking information with world governments for a very long time. The Israelis have even whacked some war criminals after being given information from the Swiss.

rp_photo wrote:
It seems she's willing to let it go, and to me her opinion means more than anyone else's.

No, it doesn't. He was sentenced. He escaped after being sentenced. her opinion does not matter. There is no statute of limitations on that.

Dave the design student wrote:
he's the only guy in teh world that can put his peen in a kids ass and garner sympathy.

at the same time, idk

I don't know people do that for celebrities.
All this talk about Michael Jackson's career lately, and I've hardly heard anyone mention the other stuff.

DHayes Photography wrote:
ROFLMAO!  So all accused rapists who manage to hide out for 30 years win a "Get Out of Jail Free" card?  I like his movies, but Polanski had the resources to settle this decades ago.

Yeah, no one is above the law.

If I remember right, I think people felt more sympathy for him than other criminals not because of his movies, but because a few years earlier when just a newlywed, his pregnant wife was murdered in one of the most gruesome slayings in U.S. history (you've seen the crime scene photos). That fucked him up pretty good.

I vaguely recall there was something about this being statutory rape (girl consented but wasn't of legal age to consent) or something like that too and change her story later. Don't know if that affected the way people viewed the case or not - it was so long ago, and I was so young, I can't really remember.

Fotographia Fantastique wrote:
If I remember right, I think people felt more sympathy for him than other criminals not because of his movies, but because a few years earlier when just a newlywed, his pregnant wife was murdered in one of the most gruesome slayings in U.S. history (you've seen the crime scene photos). That fucked him up pretty good.

He was also lived out his childhood in Poland under the Horror of the Holocaust.

I won't speculate as to whether these hardships should matter.

rp_photo wrote:

He was also lived out his childhood in Poland under the Horror of the Holocaust.

I won't speculate as to whether this should matter.

It doesn't matter and doesn't warrant being mentioned, as thousands of survivors went through the rest of their lives without being pervy and dishonest.

F*ck Polanski.

rp_photo wrote:

He was also lived out his childhood in Poland under the Horror of the Holocaust.

I won't speculate as to whether this should matter.

Polanski's wife also had an unfortunate incident.

I am sure that had some affect on him.

rp_photo wrote:
I won't speculate as to whether these hardships should matter.

It shouldn't. That's like people who grow up to be axe murderers and blame it on their fathers for beating them as children.
Who was it.... I forget, some comdeian said, "You see all those people go on Oprah and blame all of their problems on their parents. Just once I want to see someone go on tv and say, 'My momma was great. My daddy was great. I'm just a shit head.'"

Stephen Dawson wrote:
I am sure that had some affect on him.

Pretty hard to use the old 'my wife was murdered so I had to have sex with a 13 year old' defence.

rp_photo wrote:

He was also lived out his childhood in Poland under the Horror of the Holocaust.

I won't speculate as to whether this should matter.

It shouldn't.
Unless a court ordered psych profile can demonstrate otherwise, and it's way too late for that now.

But it does tend to generate sympathy with juries.

He probably would have been better to deal with it at the time instead of trying to run.
Back then he might have been able to get that psych defense, and capitalize on public sympathy. And face it, he was much richer back then too. Now all he's got is his (much dwindled) financial resources.

Dave the design student wrote:
he's the only guy in teh world that can put his peen in a kids ass and garner sympathy.

at the same time, idk

If he does not have a bad hairpiece I say give him a 5 year suspended, 12 months inside.

If he has that bad toooop; LIFE.

Fotographia Fantastique wrote:
He probably would have been better to deal with it at the time instead of trying to run.

Exactly. Like the woman once said, "If I'd killed my husband the first time I thought about it, I'd be out on parole by now." If Polanski had owned up to it and done his time, he probably would have served a year or two and been out and his career probably would have been much more productive and profitable than it's been. Sure, panic sets in and you have the urge to flee, but somewhere along the line, and he's had 30 years to do it, common sense should have played a part. Any time during those 30 years he could have contacted the authorities and made a deal. He never did.

Fotographia Fantastique wrote:
He probably would have been better to deal with it at the time instead of trying to run.
Back then he might have been able to get that psych defense, and capitalize on public sympathy. And face it, he was much richer back then too. Now all he's got is his (much dwindled) financial resources.

He has had 30 years of freedom in France, and still maintains celebrity status. He was in Switzerland to accept an award.

Kinda beats hanging out in a US maximum security jail. And dating Bubba.

Stephen Dawson wrote:

He has had 30 years of freedom in France, and still maintains celebrity status. He was in Switzerland to accept an award.

Kinda beats hanging out in a US maximum security jail. And dating Bubba.

Actually I agree with Rick, I don't think he would have served much time. I kind of doubt he would have been in maximum security even.

Remember that was back before Megan's Law and Amber Alerts and 24 hour media attention on kidnapped and exploited children.

Fotographia Fantastique wrote:

Actually I agree with Rick, I don't think he would have served much time. I kind of doubt he would have been in maximum security even.

Remember that was back before Megan's Law and Amber Alerts and 24 hour media attention on kidnapped and exploited children.

I did some checking.

He entered a guilty plea for "unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor". Not nearly as bad as a rape conviction. I am curious to know what sort of sentence that crime was getting back then.

He is a French citizen; that was why France would not extradite him. Switzerland may not hold that to be important in their decision.

Mythical Ink wrote:
No one is above the law, and sex offenders should never be allowed to go unpunished.

With the caveat that only real sex offenders be labeled as such.

As long as we call outdoor urinators, breast flashes, sexting teens, and 19 year olds with 17 year old GF's sex offenders, the term will get diluted and the pendulum could eventually swing to include sympathy for true offenders.

rp_photo wrote:

With the caveat that only real sex offenders be labeled as such.

As long as we call outdoor urinators, breast flashes, sexting teens, and 19 year olds with 17 year old GF's sex offenders, the term will get diluted and the pendulum could eventually swing to include sympathy for true offenders.

Now that I completely agree with.

As far as Polanski, just "escaping" from justice to me is enough to bring him back for his just due.  Like it or not, he did the crime he should do the time, which I also agree with one of the above posters, probably the crime of "escape" will be more than what he would have just gotten originally.

AndrewG wrote:
no.. he fled the country after the trial and before the sentencing...

"But the original judge in the case, who is now dead, first sent the director to maximum-security prison for 42 days while he underwent psychological testing. Then, on the eve of his sentencing, the judge told attorneys he was inclined to send Polanski back to prison for another 48 days."

So all this over 48 days in jail?

CSJACKSON PHOTOGRAPHY wrote:
If all those who have sympathy for him could imagine him doing that to their daughters or sisters this thread would have ended long ago....

Word.

Fuck him.

rp_photo wrote:
I wonder what's lead to Switzerland's backing away from being a bastion of privacy?

First they agree to share bank account info with the IRS and now they arrest Polanski.

Terorism.  It's the elephant in the room that has made most countries shit their pants and made the Swiss give into the IRS.