Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years in prison for Los Angeles rape conviction

Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Los Angeles on Thursday after being convicted of rape and sexual abuse.

In December, the disgraced film producer was found guilty of one count of forcible rape, one count of forcible oral copulation, and one count of sexual penetration by a foreign object.

On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench ruled that Weinstein would serve the time once he had completed his 23-year sentence in New York.

In a statement issued to the judge, Weinstein maintained his innocence.

"I maintain that I'm innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1," he said, according to The Associated Press.

Details as to where the 70-year-old will be jailed remain unclear.

Prosecutors had called for Weinstein to be sentenced to 24 years, served consecutively, while his defence term opposed the recommendation, citing his age and medical concerns.

His Los Angeles conviction relates to an assault on a former model and actress, identified as Jane Doe 1, at a hotel in Los Angeles in February 2013.

In January, Weinstein's lawyers filed a motion for a new trial, claiming they were prevented from submitting relevant information about Jane Doe 1 during the trial. The motion was addressed on Thursday, with the judge denying the request.

Back in December, the jury could not reach verdicts on allegations made by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and a woman known as Jane Doe 2. On those counts, a mistrial was declared.

Weinstein was also acquitted of sexual battery against an accuser known as Jane Doe 3.

The movie mogul is already serving a 23-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault in his first trial in New York in 2020. He is currently appealing this conviction.