Polanski...

[Henry Hawk]

What do YOU think?

Should he rot in jail or be set free........

Whoopi and the Hollywood crowd seems to think it should be forgotten.....

I think he should ROT in jail....he ADMITTED to RAPPING a 13-year old girl.

[me]

I vote for rot in jail too. 

[Bo D]

What do YOU think?

Should he rot in jail or be set free........

Whoopi and the Hollywood crowd seems to think it should be forgotten.....

I think he should ROT in jail....he ADMITTED to RAPPING a 13-year old girl.

Anybody who raps anyone without their consent should be forced to listen to Wayne Newton albums for the rest of their life! 

Seriously, he pled guilty to a lesser charge under a plea bargain, but I don't think he ever really admitted to it. I don't think there should have been a plea bargain in the first place. They should have tried him in court under the original charges and, if found guilty, thrown him in jail and lost the key.

[me]

Anybody who raps anyone without their consent should be forced to listen to Wayne Newton albums for the rest of their life! 

Seriously, he pled guilty to a lesser charge under a plea bargain, but I don't think he ever really admitted to it. I don't think there should have been a plea bargain in the first place. They should have tried him in court under the original charges and, if found guilty, thrown him in jail and lost the key.

I like the having to listen to Wayne Newton part too.  They should have added that for sure.   

[Henry Hawk]

Anybody who raps anyone without their consent should be forced to listen to Wayne Newton albums for the rest of their life! 

Isn't THAT cruel and unusual punishment?...

[Locutus]

Whoopi and the Hollywood crowd seems to think it should be forgotten.....

So does the victim. 

Once an aspiring actress, Geimer has said she long ago got over what Polanski did to her. She sued him, and a settlement was reached out of court. But the media, prosecutors and the courts in Los Angeles, California, continue to torment her, she has said. Video Watch what Geimer said in a HBO documentary »

Every time the case resurfaces her wounds reopen.

She most recently spoke in January, as attempts to resolve the case once again failed. She filed court papers asking a Los Angeles judge to dismiss the charges against the Oscar-winning director.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/29/polanski.victim.profile/index.html?iref=newssearch

[Henry Hawk]

So does the victim. 

Once an aspiring actress, Geimer has said she long ago got over what Polanski did to her. She sued him, and a settlement was reached out of court. But the media, prosecutors and the courts in Los Angeles, California, continue to torment her, she has said. Video Watch what Geimer said in a HBO documentary »

Every time the case resurfaces her wounds reopen.

She most recently spoke in January, as attempts to resolve the case once again failed. She filed court papers asking a Los Angeles judge to dismiss the charges against the Oscar-winning director.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/29/polanski.victim.profile/index.html?iref=newssearch

and I applaud her, that is fantastic, that she is able to put it aside and forgive....seriously.

But, that does NOT make it okay to rape a 13-year old girl....and to leave the country, a fugitive....HE admitted guilt and he should NOW, pay the consequences...

[Bo D]

So does the victim. 

Once an aspiring actress, Geimer has said she long ago got over what Polanski did to her. She sued him, and a settlement was reached out of court. But the media, prosecutors and the courts in Los Angeles, California, continue to torment her, she has said. Video Watch what Geimer said in a HBO documentary »

Every time the case resurfaces her wounds reopen.

She most recently spoke in January, as attempts to resolve the case once again failed. She filed court papers asking a Los Angeles judge to dismiss the charges against the Oscar-winning director.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/29/polanski.victim.profile/index.html?iref=newssearch

I did not know this, but I still have a problem with it. I still think it was wrong to let him plea bargain his way out of a serious charge.

[Exterminator]

I just read the transcript of the girl's testimony this morning and based on the sequence of events, am convinced that Polanski knew how old she was, plied her with drugs and alcohol and essentially raped and sodomized her.  I agree that he should never have been allowed to plea bargain his way to a relatively minor charge and should have gone to trial.

Once the plea bargain was accepted, however, the court should have honored it.

[Palehorse]

The court would have honored it but he fled before sentencing and has not been back since. Now he'll have to answer for the failure to show and for being a fugitive for 30 years. The sad thing is he'll probably get more time for those charges than he will get for the rape.

Were I the judge in this case, and if it were within the law, I would weigh the victim's desires very heavily in sentencing him. 30 years is a long time and the victim has been dealing with the stigma that keeps rising like the tides. If she wants it forgotten then it should be; but I would then require a substantial monetary award for the victim in lieu of incarceration. Hit him where it hurts most. . .and provide some much deserved relief for the victims lifestyle moving forward.

30 friggin years this guy not only was free to live his life, but did so achieving wealth and celebrity along the way. Take from him and give to her. Seems fair to me if this meets her requirements.

[Exterminator]

The court would have honored it but he fled before sentencing and has not been back since.

Nope; the judge was going to tack on additional time to what had already beed agreed upon and served.  That's why he fled.

wants it forgotten then it should be; but I would then require a substantial monetary award for the victim in lieu of incarceration. Hit him where it hurts most. . .and provide some much deserved relief for the victims lifestyle moving forward.

She was compensated, probably very well; the terms of the agreement were never disclosed.

[Anne]

Doesn't make any difference whether she received any compensation from her or not or if the judge wasn't going to honor the plea bargain. If he didn't agree with it he could have backed out and requested a trial. He got off easy and now he has to pay for his actions.

[Palehorse]

Nope; the judge was going to tack on additional time to what had already beed agreed upon and served.  That's why he fled.

So he was not sentenced. . .

She was compensated, probably very well; the terms of the agreement were never disclosed.

This makes me wonder how much that compensation plays into her present position then. . .Were there terms to this compensation agreement? Was it enough to make her comfortable for the rest of her life? etc. . .

[Exterminator]

So he was not sentenced. . .

I'm not sure of the exact specifics but the time he served in the state prison while undergoing psychiatric evaluation was the only time he was supposed to have to serve under the plea agreement.  There was apparently an issue of judicial misconduct raised that brings into question the validity of the proceedings.

This makes me wonder how much that compensation plays into her present position then. . .Were there terms to this compensation agreement? Was it enough to make her comfortable for the rest of her life? etc. . .

It was apparently enough at the time to satisfy all of the parties involved.

[Exterminator]

Excellent article on the subject.

Bottom line: Polanski raped a 13 year-old, admitted it and fled the country before he could be sentenced.