Roman Polanski isn't going to be extradited to the USA...

[sandyRoe]

where he faced sentencing for abusing a 13 year old child. Is there one law for the rich...?

[stokemaveric]

in a word....yes.....

[B00]

You even have to ask?

[Bobbisox]

is going to stay holed up in Sweden?
they should send him to Austria to share a cell with that other creep, Fritzel!

[andy-hughes]

No, there is one law for everyone - and the American authorities have broken it by failing to provide the Swiss government with confidential evidence regarding Polanski's sentencing. Therefore, the Swiss government have declined America's request to extradite him.

Polanski's financial status is not relavent.

[B00]

The cynical part of me though Andy wonders if they'd be so "unhelpful" to each other (the countries) if Mr Polanski wasn't so rich and famous.

[jno]

B00, no, it rather appears the whole case was a kangaroo court from the beginning 30 years ago; it seems Polanski was induced to plead guilty with the promise of a light sentence, which the prosecutor then broke. It now looks as if the Swiss asked for more details about this and the Americans, for whatever reason, decided they'd rather not provide any.

[B00]

Ahhh, fair 'nuff Jno. As you've gathered I know nothing about this case, so not in a position to really say owt, i was just being nosy :-)

[jno]

from memory, what happened was that the original prosecution just treated it like an ordinary case and offered him a plea bargain to avoid the expense of a trial, and it was on that basis that he pleaded guilty - he might well not have done so otherwise. Then a new prosecutor came in, decided he wanted a big show trial with a celebrity banged up for years, and moved the goalposts; at which point Polanski fled the country. The result is tough on the victim, and I don't suppose it's exactly been a barrel of laughs for Polanski living in exile, though my sympathy for his plight is very limited. But it looks as though the original 'fix' has come back to bite the Americans on the bum. Karma.

[McMouse]

Age of consent in Spain is 13 as is Nigeria. I gather in the Polanski case she consented.

[jno]

the age of consent isn't 13 in Hollywood.

[Davethedog]

JNO - He drugged, photographed naked and raped a 13 year old girl. Thes facts are not in dispute.

He then took the plea bargin so they would let him out of prison and immediatley fled.
"though my sympathy for his plight is very limited"

He now pleads that the girl consented and has some very influential paedophile sympathisers.

The fact that you have even a twinge of sympathy for him I find beyond belief

[ummmm]

I might be wrong but didn't he actually rape her?

[ummmm]

That answered my question.

I also read (I think) that he anally raped her.

[jno]

Dave, are you saying my memory is wrong - that is, that the original plea bargain plan wasn't abandoned unilaterally? You may be right, it was a long time ago. I'm not defending what he did but in the USA as here, justice needs to be administered according to the rules, not the whims of judges and prosecutors.

[jno]

okay, here are the details on Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.o...i#Sexual_assault_case

Seems it was the judge rather than the prosecutor who moved the goalposts.

[Davethedog]

My understanding was that he was offered a plea bargin and he legged it that negated the plea bargin.

It was withdrawn not abandoned.

They girl is on record as saying that everything that he did was against her will but she wants no part of any of it now.