Harvey Weinstein rushed from prison to hospital for emergency heart surgery

Harvey Weinstein has been rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery. The disgraced movie mogul, who was being held at Rikers Island Jail in New York, was transferred to Bellevue Hospital after reportedly experiencing chest pains on Monday.

The 72-year-old has a history of ongoing health issues, which his legal team has openly discussed since his imprisonment, reports the Mirror.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the shamed predator said: "Mr. Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital last night due to several medical conditions, we can confirm that Mr. Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today however cannot comment any further than that."

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They added: "As we have extensively stated before, Mr. Weinstein suffers a plethora of significant health issues that need ongoing treatment. We are grateful to the executive team at the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for acting swiftly in taking him to Bellevue Hospital."

Just two months ago, he was rushed to hospital after contracting pneumonia and coronavirus. At the time, Juda Engelmayer, Weinstein's legal representative said in a statement: "Craig Rothfeld, Mr. Weinstein's authorised representative and prison consultant, confirms that Mr. Weinstein has been brought back to the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward.

"So that he can be treated for the myriad of health conditions that he is still afflicted with on a daily basis such as diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, fluid on his heart and lungs, and various other conditions.

"In addition, Mr. Weinstein tested positive for COVID and contracted double pneumonia in his lungs. We continue to express our gratitude to the officers, doctors and nurses at DOCS, CHS, and NYC H+H who saw to it that Mr. Weinstein was immediately transferred to the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward and will continue working hand in hand with them to ensure Mr. Weinstein receives proper medical treatment."

He was previously admitted to the hospital in April after suffering from chest pains and spent nine days as an inpatient. Harvey Weinstein was scheduled to appear in a New York court this week after prosecutors presented evidence to support a new sex crimes charge against him.

The disgraced movie mogul has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that his sexual encounters with his accusers were consensual. Weinstein is awaiting a retrial after his 2020 convictions for first-degree criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape were overturned in April.

The New York Court of Appeals ruled that he didn't receive a fair trial. In July, after a tentative retrial date of November 12 was set, his attorneys requested his transfer back to Bellevue Hospital Prison, citing health issues related to his diet at Rikers Island due to high sugar levels in the meals. Weinstein remains in custody in New York.

In 2020, Weinstein was convicted based on the testimony of production assistant Miriam Haley and former actress Jessica Mann. However, the convictions were overturned this year when an appellate court found that the judge had prejudiced the jury by allowing testimony from women regarding unrelated sexual harassment and assault allegations.

Even if Weinstein is acquitted in the retrial, he won't be released, as he is also serving a 16-year sentence for three counts of sexual assault following a conviction in a Los Angeles court. With over 80 people accusing Weinstein of rape and misconduct dating back to the late 1970s, his legal battles are far from over.

In a separate case, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recently announced the discontinuation of two indecent assault charges brought against Weinstein in 2022. These charges, related to incidents involving a woman in London in 1996, were dropped due to a lack of a realistic prospect of conviction.

Frank Ferguson, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, stated that the decision was made after a review of the evidence. Despite this, Ferguson encouraged potential victims of sexual assault to come forward and assured that the CPS would prosecute whenever the legal test is met. Weinstein continues to serve his sentence in the U.S. for his Los Angeles convictions.

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