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Asia Argento: Police probe claims Me Too activist sexually assaulted male actor

Asia Argento is a leading figure in the Me Too movement: AFP/Getty Images
Asia Argento is a leading figure in the Me Too movement: AFP/Getty Images

Police are investigating sexual assault allegations made against Italian actress and prominent Me Too campaigner Asia Argento.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s department said investigators are trying to locate actor Jimmy Bennett.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the actor had accused Ms Argento of sexually assaulting him in 2013 when he was 17 and she was 37.

Ms Argento reportedly agreed to pay Mr Bennett $380,000 following the allegations.

Police say they have not found any police report alleging a crime.

Asia Argento (AFP/Getty Images)
Asia Argento (AFP/Getty Images)

Captain Darren Harris said: “After becoming aware of the allegations, the LASD’s Special Victims Bureau is attempting to reach out to the reported victim and/or his representatives in an effort to appropriately document any potential criminal allegations.”

Ms Argento, known to English audiences from the films Land of the Dead and xXx, became a prominent figure in the #MeToo movement when she alleged she was raped by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

According to the New York Times, Mr Bennet filed the claim a month after Ms Argento made her allegation against Harvey Weinstein.

Ms Argento and Mr Bennett both starred in a film called 'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things' in 2004 where she played a teenage mum to Bennett as a young boy.

Ms Argento has claimed Harvey Weinstein raped her at the 1997 Cannes film festival, and maintained a relationship with him for four years because she was afraid of angering him. Weinstein has been charged for sex crime allegations made by three different women, but not Argento. He denies the charges and is due to appear in court on September 20.

In May she tweeted a speech, stating: "Harvey Weinstein will never be welcomed here [the Cannes film festival] ever again. He will live in disgrace, shunned by a film community that once embraced him AND provided cover for his crimes."

The Evening Standard has contacted representatives for Ms Argento and Mr Bennett for comment.