Harvey Weinstein's chauffeur accuses movie mogul of beating him up when prostitutes did not turn up

A French chauffeur has accused Harvey Weinstein of beating him up when prostitutes he expected to meet did not turn up.

Mickael Chemloul, who worked for the disgraced film producer in Cannes between 2008 and 2013, said much of his work revolved around transporting young female actors and models for Weinstein.

Mr Chemloul said some of these aspiring female actors would be left crying after their encounters with Weinstein, who was known as “The Pig” in Cannes, and he felt like he was driving them into the “jaws of the wolf”. He said some even left Weinstein’s home barefoot.

Weinstein is currently facing rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment allegations and is the subject of criminal investigations on both sides of the Atlantic.

“I had the feeling of driving poor innocent people, innocent girls, to the jaws of the wolf and I could not say to them: ‘Be careful where you’re heading – it’s dangerous,’” the chaffeur told French TV channel BFMTV.

“When they left Weinstein’s place, there was sadness; they were melancholy. I didn’t know what had happened, but I had to console them – offer them water, or a cigarette.”

But it was the response of a young woman who was a massive aficionado of Weinstein’s which troubled him most.

“The one that most struck me was a girl who was a fan of his, who loved him and followed him for years,” he recalled. “She gave him her body, her soul – everything to this man because he promised he’d find her castings and make a film, which never happened.“

Mr Chemloul, who is penning a book about Weinstein called The Last Monster of Hollywood, said he had not seen her since 2010 at Nice airport when she had no money for her flight out.

He alleged his own encounters with Weinstein were fraught and the Pulp Fiction producer was often abusive towards him and would shout “Stupid driver!” at him in English.

The chauffeur alleges that on 14 July 2013 Weinstein got incensed after prostitutes did not show up at Club 55 beach bar in St Tropez and beat him so badly he was not able to work for four days.

“He went crazy and hit me. At that moment, there was no question - I’d never work for him again,” said Mr Chemloul.

He said he went to the police in 2014 but the prosecutor refused to go ahead and press charges.

Dozens of women have come forward with allegations of rape, sexual assault and harassment against the embattled movie mogul who has now been sacked from his namesake company and expelled from the Oscars.

The Weinstein fallout exploded earlier in the month when The New York Times published a bombshell story about Weinstein's numerous settlements with women and included Ashley Judd accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment. This was followed by a 10-month investigative piece in The New Yorker that included three women who accused him of rape.

Weinstein denies all accusations of nonconsensual sex. ”Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein. Mr Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances,“ his spokesperson told The Independent in a statement.

The Independent contacted a representative of Weinstein for comment about the chauffeur’s claims.