Paris Hilton claims Harvey Weinstein followed her into bathroom as teenager: ‘It scared me’
The disgraced film producer is currently serving a 23-year sentence in New York for other sexual assault charges – and was sentenced to 16 years in prison in LA after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault this week.
The move comes more than five years after reports first emerged of his behavior in Hollywood, with many women coming forward with allegations – sparking the #MeToo movement.
In a new interview, Hilton, 42, opened up about meeting the 70-year-old while at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, at the age of 19.
Reflecting on the alleged incident, she explained that she was at lunch with a friend when they were approached by the mogul.
‘I was at lunch with my girlfriend and he came up to the table and was like, “Oh, you want to be an actress?” And I said, “Yeah, I really want to be in a movie”,’ she began.
‘I was a teenager, so I was impressed by him. I was like, “Oh my god, Harvey Weinstein is so cool!” and he said, “Well, we should have a meeting. You can come up to my room and read scripts.” And I just didn’t want to go, so I never went.’
The following night, while attending the amfAR Gala, Hilton claimed that they met again, but Weinstein became ‘aggressive’ with her, and followed her into the bathroom, screaming: ‘Ya wanna be a star?’
‘I went into the bathroom and then he followed me,’ the new mom continued. ‘He tried to open the door, he was hammering on the door, banging on it. And I wouldn’t open it, because I was like, “I’m in a stall, why do you want to come in here?” And I just wouldn’t open it.
‘And security came and literally carried him away and he was like [shouting], “This is my party,” going nuts. It scared me and freaked me out.’
When asked if she had heard rumors of his abuse, she added to Glamour Magazine: ‘Yeah, and it was just someone so powerful in Hollywood who everyone was terrified of.
‘I didn’t even want to say anything about it because I was like, “I don’t want people getting mad at me for saying anything,” because it was just a known thing. He was just like that and people were like, “Okay, just turn a blind eye.”’
Hilton’s comments came as Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in jail in LA, after he was found guilty of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration of a foreign object in relation to an unnamed woman.
PA reports that Weinstein – who pleaded not guilty to all charges – appeared in court in person for the hearing on Thursday, where he pleaded with the judge for ‘mercy’.
‘Your Honor … I maintain that I am innocent,’ he said, via the publication. ‘I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe One. I don’t know that woman and she doesn’t know me.
‘This is a made-up story. With all due respect, Jane Doe One is an actress … Jane Doe One can turn on the tears.
‘Please don’t sentence me to life in prison, I don’t deserve it. I beg your mercy.’
According to the outlet, Jane Doe One – who was one of four women who brought the current case against Weinstein – shared a victim impact statement, in which she said that she was ‘broken into a million pieces’ over the assault.
‘I have been carrying this weight for 12 months,’ she reportedly began. ‘Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman. I valued myself and the relationship I had with God. I was excited about my future.
‘Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me.
‘It has broken me into a million pieces … there is no prison sentence long enough to undo the damage.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Weinstein’s reps for a comment.
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