New York, London police investigate Weinstein

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The case against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein took on an international dimension Thursday with police in the US and the UK launching investigations after the movie mogul was accused of rape by a fourth woman.

An avalanche of claims of sexual harassment, assault and rape by the hugely influential Hollywood producer have surfaced since the publication last week of an explosive New York Times report alleging a history of abusive behavior dating back decades.

On Thursday, American actress Rose McGowan became the fourth woman to accuse Weinstein of raping her.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department confirmed to AFP it was investigating a 2004 case, but gave no further details.

The New York Daily News reported that the case involved aspiring actress Lucia Evans, who earlier told the New Yorker magazine that Weinstein had forced her to perform oral sex on him.

Meantime, a statement from Scotland Yard said Metropolitan Police were investigating "an allegation of sexual assault by Merseyside Police."

It did not elaborate.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper said the case involved an actress now understood to be living in the Liverpool area.

Rose McGowan at an event in New York City /AFP photo

'We all make mistakes'

On Wednesday, Weinstein was seen in public for the first time in days after paparazzi descended on him as he left his daughter's Los Angeles home.

"Guys, I'm not doing OK but I'm trying," he said in a video obtained by ABC. "I got to get help. You know what, we all make mistakes."

As he got into his car, he said he hoped people would give him "a second chance."

The TMZ website reported that Weinstein later flew to Arizona to enter a rehabilitation center, speculated to be The Meadows, a facility northwest of Phoenix where golfer Tiger Woods and supermodel Kate Moss have been treated.

Shock waves

The allegations against a man who is a prominent supporter of liberal causes and a major Democratic Party fundraiser sent tremors through the party, with conservatives accusing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton of waiting too long to disavow Weinstein.

Obama eventually said he was "disgusted" and Clinton that she was "appalled" by the alleged acts.

The allegations against one of cinema's titans – a man whose studio has earned more than 300 Oscar nominations – have shaken Hollywood, which has long battled a reputation for exploiting female actors, bypassing female directors and overlooking female-centered scripts.

Weinstein's accusers include actors such as Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mira Sorvino, Kate Beckinsale and actor/singer Ashley Judd.

Two-time Academy Award winning actress Jane Fonda / AFP photo

Two-time Academy Award winning actress Jane Fonda on Thursday told the BBC's "Hardtalk" program she heard of the accusations against Weinstein a year ago, admitting she "should've been braver" in voicing the claims.

She added she did not publicly speak out to protect his accusers' privacy.

The catalog of allegations ranges from verbal harassment and physical intimidation to forced sexual contact.

Some of the lesser complaints can no longer be prosecuted owing to statutes of limitation.

Along with McGowan and Evans, two other women have accused Weinstein of rape: Italian star Asia Argento and another woman who remains anonymous.

In New York, there is no statute of limitations in rape cases.

Authorities there have not yet filed charges in the 2004 case, but are encouraging anyone with information to come forward, said J. Peter Donald, a New York Police Department spokesman.

California, responding to the slew of sexual assault allegations against comedian Bill Cosby, last year ended its statute of limitations for rape cases.

But the change was not retroactive, so most cases 10 years old or older could not be prosecuted.

File image of US actor Bill Cosby /AFP photo

Parallels to Cosby

The parallels between Weinstein's situation and that of Cosby are striking: several presumed victims have come forth in both cases, their complaints stretch back decades and both men reached secret settlements with some of their accusers to keep them quiet.

The Weinstein allegations are expected to play out both in criminal and civil courts, drawing in some of his close friends and collaborators.

The producer has been lining up a top-flight defense team.

He recently retained the services of a star of the Los Angeles bar, Blair Berk, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Weinstein, like Cosby before him, has insisted that all the sexual contacts that have emerged were consensual.

Through a spokeswoman, he has apologized for his behavior but denied specific charges and threatened to sue The Times.

But with the allegations pouring in, he was fired by the eponymous company he co-founded, and his wife, actress Georgina Chapman, said she plans to divorce him.

Weinstein and his brother Bob, co-founders of Miramax Films, burst onto the indie scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s with films like "Sex, Lies and Videotape," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction."

Source(s): AFP