Harvey Weinstein’s defence focuses on his unusual testicles
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Harvey Weinstein‘s genitalia became a key issue during his recent sexual assault trial in Los Angeles.
In the trial, the first woman to testify against Weinstein, Jane Doe #1, completed her testimony on Wednesday (October 26), claiming she was sexually assaulted and raped by him in a hotel room at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival in February 2013.
As reported by Variety, Weinstein’s lawyer Alan Jackson focused on certain topics during his cross-examination – including her timeframe of events, her social media posts, medical records, evidence of documentation around the alleged incident – along with Weinstein’s testicles.
During opening statements, prosecutor and deputy D.A. Paul Thompson explained that Weinstein’s testicles had been relocated following surgery in 1999. “Because of an infection, his testicles were actually taken from his scrotum and put into his inner thighs,” he told the court.
According to Variety, the topic is expected to repeatedly come up throughout proceedings.
In Jane Doe #1’s testimony, she told the jury that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex, demanding that she “suck him and suck his balls”.
When Jackson later cross-examined Jane Doe #1, he referred to one of her conversations with police where she is said to have told them “his balls were in your mouth”. In emphasising the plural, Jackson accused her of altering the detail later.
“The reason that you changed your story is because you realised at some point that Mr. Weinstein does not have testicles in his scrotum,” Jackson said. Jane Doe #1 disagreed with the statement and said she never changed her story, claiming she told detectives about his genitalia.
“I recall that he didn’t have one,” she said. “It was like empty skin.”
Weinstein’s lawyer also questioned why she would let Weinstein into her hotel room in the first place when he unexpectedly showed up. In response, she said she was “confused” and that it “wasn’t in my mind to call for help”.
“I was being grabbed by him… I regret that I didn’t fight and stand up for myself,” she added.
Weinstein is facing 11 charges of sexual assault involving five women between 2004 and 2013. In March 2020, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison after being found guilty in New York of first degree sexual assault and third degree rape.
