HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — British actress Charlotte Lewis is claiming she was sexually abused by Roman Polanski when she was just 16.
Lewis, 42, made the allegation Friday at a Los Angeles news conference held alongside her attorney, Gloria Allred.
"[He] sexually abused me in the worst possible way when I was just 16," said Lewis, reading from a prepared statement. "He knew [how old I was] when he met me and forced himself upon me in his apartment in Paris. He took advantage of me and I have lived with the effects of his behavior ever since it occurred. I've traveled to the U.S. at my own expense to make sure that justice is finally done and that Mr. Polanski gets what he deserves. All I want is justice."
It remains unclear when the alleged assault took place, but it was prior to Lewis appearing in Polanski's 1986 film, Pirates.
Polanski, 76, remains under house arrest at his Swiss chateau for a statutory rape conviction dating back to the 1970s. U.S. authorities are hoping to extradite the Oscar winner, who has managed to escape sentencing for more than 30 years. In 1978, he was charged with drugging and then having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl at the home of Jack Nicholson. The charges were later dropped as part of a plea bargain, with the director admitting to a lesser charge of unlawful sex with a minor.
Polanski's legal team released a statement late Friday, saying: "We don't have any information about statements made at a Gloria Allred press conference today, but we do know that the District Attorney continues to refuse to provide the Swiss government with accurate and complete information relevant to the extradition issue."
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