Harvey Weinstein allegations: Disgraced movie mogul 'forcibly performed oral sex on menstruating woman'
Ex-production assistant Mimi Haleyi accuses studio boss of raping her in child's bedroom of his New York City apartment in 2006
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Your support makes all the difference.Harvey Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on an aspiring production assistant while she was on her period, the alleged victim has claimed in the latest allegation against the disgraced movie mogul.
Mimi Haleyi said on Tuesday that she was assaulted by Weinstein in what appeared to be a child's bedroom in his New York City apartment in 2006 when she was in her 20s.
She said she was aspiring to work in television and film production when she was first introduced to him at the London premiere of The Aviator around two years earlier and he helped her get experience on the set of a TV show being produced by The Weinstein Company.
But, she added, he repeatedly hassled her and even tried to force himself through her front door in an effort to get her to join him on a trip to Paris.
She said she thought she had put an end to his advances so she agreed to visit his New York loft apartment to keep a good relationship with the powerful producer but he quickly began making sexual advances and “backed” her into a bedroom covered in children's drawings.
“I told him 'no, no, no'. But he insisted,” Ms Haleyi told a press conference in New York.
“I said 'I'm on my period, there's no way this is going to happen, please stop'. He wouldn't take no for an answer.
”He held me down on the bed. I tried to get away, I tried to get him off of me and kept asking him to stop but it was impossible.
“He then orally forced himself on me while I was on my period. I was in disbelief and disgusted.”
Through tears, she added: “I would not have wanted anyone to do that to me even if the person had been a romantic partner.”
Her lawyer Gloria Allred, who is representing “numerous” complainants against Weinstein, described the alleged incident as “a new low”.
Ms Allred said the allegation may fall outside of the time limit required by law for a prosecution in the state but said her client would aid police with their inquiries.
Detectives in New York have already opened a criminal investigation, as have officers in Los Angeles and London.
The Weinstein Company, which sacked its co-founder after dozens of women came forward with allegations of sexual assault and harassment, is also the subject of a civil rights investigation by New York state's top prosecutor.
Weinstein has “unequivocally denied” allegations of non-consensual sex.
PA