Polanski Detained by Swiss Authorities
 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090927/...rland_polanski

Wow...I never thought this would happen.

Ditto. And I'm sure it was awkward, with the Susan Atkins thing.

Interesting timing?

This is so weird. Not only has he traveled in and out of Zurich without any trouble, he owns a house in Gstaad. Why would they decide to extradite him now?

Earlier this year, I watched "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," which is about the prosecution and the misconduct that went on there and it made me think about this whole thing in a different light. Not that I think plying a 13 year-old with Quaaludes and having anal sex with her is okay in any regard, the judge was trying to make an "example" out of him.

and instead he because a kind of different example of how some people avoid the (most of the) legal consequences of their actions, at least for a very long time.

Well, plus there are the questions about the judge offering a plea deal, then withdrawing that offer after Polanski fulfilled the terms (a 45 day observation). It's an interesting case.

The timing is odd, especially since he's spent so much time in the area. Why now?

Better late than never, I say.

Maybe there's new expectation of clemency that made enforcing the arrest warrant more palatable?

Great, one more media circus for T.V. Guide to drone on about for every waking hour. This is way before my time so I don't know the details of Polanski's accusation but if the victim wants the charges dropped then for God's sake drop them. Going to court can be a traumatic experience, especially if the victim is trying to forget and move on.

I agree. She's been fairly vocal about wanting to move on. Why won't the prosecutors let that happen?

There's a little chatter about this being Switzerland's way to throw a bone to the US over this whole UBS thing. If that's the case it's kind of creepy.

If there were only the original charges to consider, what the victim wants now might be a big deal*, but when you consider his actively avoiding accepting the legal consequences of conviction, I'm not so sure.

And there was kind of a weird complicity of a couple of European governments in his behavior. I was looking at his suit against Vanity Fair, and it really seems remarkable the lengths he was able to go to to avoid traveling to a country which might extradite him.

You can be a great artist and a horrible, even criminal human being. Drugging and raping a 13 year old probably shouldn't be something that you avoid legal penalty for if you just avoid the US for 30+ years. I think we're pretty swell and all, but no, it doesn't equal serving your time.

That said, I don't really much care what happens to him. I wonder what the original sentence would have been?

*The original article linked here notes that she reached a private settlement with him, and I sort of think that we ought to be careful with dismissing criminal charges when it might appear that the perpetrator bought off the victim, even if it is 30+ years later.

I don't see the Swiss doing anything unless the United States federal government requested it. I'm surprised that this happened now and not in the past.

I am curious for those legal minds on GC - where would "statute of limitation" laws come in play? I thought that only murder had no limit. Does rape, or child molestation have no statute of limitation? Is this a state by state thing, or is it federal law?

Also, if the victim does not want to testify, then won't it be difficult to get a conviction? or, has he plead guilty and is just evading sentencing?

I'm pretty sure he's already been convicted, so all of this is moot.

Right - just read this - I didn't realize he took off AFTER pleading guilty, before sentencing.

He pled guilty, served time in psychiatric evaluation, and was released.

ETA: It looks like we posted our responses at the same time. The whole thing is just weird to me.

The victim also says that her mother gets dragged through the mud every time the case is mentioned. That must suck as well.

Hi Madmax!

You really can't see how it's a somewhat-dangerous precedent to set to give the victim that kind of responsibility? The criminal justice system is designed to eliminate that kind of subjective need.

I heard on NPR today that he was arrested this time in Zurich because the DA in California heard that he was going to be in Zurich to accept an award that was being widely publicized. They said that they had issued paperwork for warrants before but Polanski wouldn't show up after all. This time, everything just worked out. He showed up at the airport, and they were waiting for him! About time! He deserves to pay for the crime of drugging a child and raping her.

Yep.

Justice is not for the victim, it's for society. Polanski's crime is the sort of thing which if it goes unpunished (i.e., the rich being able to skate on child rape because they have the resources to get the hell out of Dodge before sentencing) can undermine the public's confidence in the criminal justice system.

I don't give a damn what this man has done to atone for his sins or what he has contributed through his craft. He's still a child rapist and should serve his time. In this case, his sentence will hopefully work out to the balance of his life.

I totally agree. No matter how I try to look at this, he raped a child. Period. Fuck his movies.

Agreed with both - our system is set up that way for a good reason.

I don't like the idea of letting someone off who ran away to avoid sentencing. Isn't there some sort of extra punishment for that?

Polanski loses first round in extradition battle
 

BERN, Switzerland – Roman Polanski lost the first round Tuesday in his battle to avoid extradition to the U.S. for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

Already locked in a Zurich cell for the last dozen days, Polanski learned he will remain incarcerated for an extended period as the Swiss Justice Ministry rejected his plea to be released from custody.

Swiss authorities expressed fear he might flee the country if freed from prison. The director of such film classics as "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown" has been wanted by U.S. authorities since fleeing sentencing 31 years ago.

"We continue to be of the opinion that there is a high risk of flight," said ministry spokesman Folco Galli, explaining the decision.

Galli told The Associated Press that the threat was too great for the government to accept bail or other security measures in exchange for the release of the filmmaker.

Polanski was apprehended Sept. 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival. Authorities in Los Angeles consider him a convicted felon and a fugitive, and Switzerland says there has been an international warrant out on him since 2005.

Full Story