Harvey Weinstein: Disgraced Hollywood producer diagnosed with cancer ahead of rape retrial

The 72-year-old is currently battling chronic myeloid leukaemia, according to US outlet NBC News. Weinstein is reportedly undergoing treatment for the bone marrow cancer while incarcerated at Rikers Island prison in New York. Weinstein was previously diagnosed with multiple health issues, including being forced to undergo heart surgery and being diagnosed with Covid-19 and double pneumonia. His health issued have seen him appear in the courtroom in wheelchairs and using frame and walking sticks to support himself.

The former Hollywood mogul was jailed in 2020 for 23 years after being found guilty of two of five rape charges in New York, however this was overturned on appeal earlier this year on account of procedural errors and will undergo a retrial in November. New York’s Court of Appeal overturned the result in April, stating that the judge had prejudiced Weinstein during the trail, including allowing testimony which featured allegations that were not part of the case.

He remains in prison due to a separate case in Los Angeles, in which he was found guilty of three charges of rape and sexual assault and sentenced to 16 years. Manhattan prosecutors are attempting to combine the charges from the 2020 trial which are due to be recovered at the retiral in November with new a criminal indictment, claiming that the new charges fall within the state’s statute of limitations.