Comments on: Does jail await Roman Polanski?

By: r g winckler

r g winckler — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:27:46 +0000

Was flabbergasted seeing and hearing Sharon Tate’s sister saying that this was consentual. !st having sex with anyone after drugging them is RAPE!
2nd-the girl was 13
rape and sodomy of a minior is inexcusable no matter how big a star does it! would a college student who roofies his date get the same backing from hollywood?
send the scum bag to jail!!!!

By: banzay

banzay — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:21:28 +0000

freedom of Roman Polanski!!

By: Deidre

Deidre — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:27:07 +0000

look up roman polanski on imdb.com and look at his disturbing quotes. (including how children are more resilient than adults, etc.

By: Raw

Raw — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:14:28 +0000

I can’t believe that we as a society will have a debate on what this man did not be concerned with what the victim had to live with for the past 30 yrs. I have a 13yr old daughter and it is unthinkable to think that this can be justifed on any level. How sick are we as a society to say that it is not really rape. Whoopi shame on you!!

By: David

David — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:24:05 +0000

I find it amazing that some people on here are defending Polanski’s actions with examples of other cultures allowing 13yr olds to have sex with 40yr olds. Fine, I have no problem with that, and in these cultures I’m sure that the 13yr old is aware that this is ‘normal’ also.

The difference here, is that this girl said ‘no’ a number of times. If you haven’t read her original testimony then I suggest you do. If she was a willing partner in Polanski’s grooming then he wouldn’t of needed to ply her with drink and drugs. The fact that once he had got her into this state that he then proceeded to ‘go in the back’
and have anal sex with this 13yr old. He knew what he was doing was illegal in the US (and probably in his own culture?). He violated a young girl who trusted him and he should pay now.

All you who are arguing in support of him I find very strange indeed. Forget all the other issues: other cultures, the US justice system etc!….WHO CARES?! focus on the original crime and then make your decision on that.

It may of been 30yrs ago but its hardly like he’s paid for his crime is it? still doing what he loves and making films?! What a sick joke.

By: Jens

Jens — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:44:51 +0000

Dominik,

If it’s not about rape then what, in your opinion, is it about?

Rape is exactly what it is about and whilst the US legal system may have a great number of faults, not least its over politicization, these facts are irrelevant in this case.

By: Peps

Peps — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:25:01 +0000

The LA Times quotes many of the elite from Hollywood who feel he has suffered enough, because he couldn’t come to the U.S. to recieve his Oscar, and who feel that he shouldn’t be prosecuted because he isn’t “really a pedophile”. In a time when date rape of adults is seen as a serious crime, how can these moral cretins excuse the luring, drugging and anal rape of a 13 year old child?

By: Dominik von Mühlberg

Dominik von Mühlberg — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:31:58 +0000

a word ahead: i am not advocating that horny guys should rape kids and get away with it. but this is not about rape. what disturbes me is the number of outspokenly vile posts calling for blood. it´s really painful to see how sick the american society is, not to talk about double-standards in u. s. justice. it took american legal authorities 30 yrs (!) to get hold of a public threat by the name of roman polanski? don´t make me laugh … once again it´s just dirty politics and once again it´s the USA. it´s boring …. try to come with something else next time please.

By: Jens

Jens — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:08:14 +0000

I truly am stunned by the level of support the Polanski is receiving from the general public and in particular from people within the movie industry. In any other walk of life, if somebody did what he did, they would be completely ostracized from society.

Let’s be clear about this, whether or not Samantha Gailey consented to what happened that day is irrelevant. It is equally irrelevant whether or not you believe that sex with a 13 year old should be illegal or not. The simple fact is that such an act IS illegal and anybody committing such an act is liable to be punished under the law.

Let’s also not kid ourselves that this was a case of some overly sexed lolita type that seduced Polanski. He plied her with drugs and alcohol and then she protested throughout the event whilst he proceeded to have sex with her and sodomized her. Even if she hadn’t been a minor, this would have been a pretty serious case of premeditated rape, the fact that she was a minor only makes it even worse.

She has now said that she wants Polanski to be pardoned but not because she has forgiven him, she just wants to be left alone and not have the story rubbed in her face for the rest of her life. Something that wouldn’t have happened if Polanski hadn’t fled in the first place.

As far as the accusations against the LA district Attorney’s office are concerned, I do not profess to be intimately familiar with all the details and I dare say that the vast majority of the people posting on here aren’t either. What I do no however is that 42 days of “psychiatric evaluation” does not seem like a very reasonable punishment for the crime that he committed. Seems to me like he probably couldn’t believe his luck when he managed to get that plea bargain and knew damn well that he should have gone to prison for a very long time. Are we really going to condemn the judge because there was a chance he might have gone back on that deal? Seems to me like that is exactly what he should have done.

I also don’t think we should be criticizing the Swiss authorities for taking action in this matter. The fact is that Switzerland has an extradition treaty with the US and if the US tells them to arrest somebody, they have to do it. They didn’t really have much choice in the matter. Sure, they could have dug their heels in and protested but why should they create an international incident over the matter, just to protect a convicted rapist?

What the Swiss authorities should be criticized for is for not taking action earlier and using their own initiative during one of the many previous visits of Polanski to Switzerland, rather than waiting for the US to ask, leaving them with little choice. For that matter, the same condemnation should be directed towards all the other foreign governments that allowed his to wander free in their midst, particularly the French. No wonder he never came back to the UK, I’m glad to say that the UK government would not have been so accommodating.

Finally, the argument that this all took place over 30 years ago is utterly irrelevant. The only reason it has taken so long is because he was a coward and fled the country in the first place. A crime is a crime, no matter when it took place.

All those of you trying to shift the blame elsewhere and supporting Polanski should bow your heads in shame!

By: linda

linda — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:53:24 +0000

I was stunned that people are calling for his release. These misguided folks should picture in their minds the act he committed with a minor. Hopefully this will help them see that he should be punished for this. We don’t want to condone this act no matter how long ago it happened. How many appeals will this start. More predators will be out and about to commit crimes against defenseless children.