TODAY.AZ / Arts & Entertainment

Roman Polanski 'to make new appeal'

26 January 2010 [11:15] - TODAY.AZ
Roman Polanski's legal team have confirmed that they will appeal a ruling that denied the director's request to be sentenced in absentia.

An LA Superior Court judge ruled on Friday that Polanski must return to the US to face sentencing in his 1977 sex case before a hearing on the 76-year-old's contention of judicial misconduct during his original trial can take place.

Polanski's lawyers had originally hoped that his request to be allowed to stand trial in absentia could hold the key to a resolution. However, his lawyer Bart Dalton has now declared that they will appeal to a state court against the decision by judge Peter Espinosa.

The helmer is currently in Switzerland under house arrest.

During a contentious hearing, the star's lead attorney Chad Hummel insisted that Polanski had already served a 42-day sentence in a California prison initially passed down by the now-deceased judge Laurence Rittenband.

The veteran filmmaker's lawyers also contend that the length of his mooted sentence is crucial in the verdict's outcome, as the current extradition treaty between the US and Switzerland only applies to fugitives facing at least six months behind bars.

In refusing Polanski's request, Espinosa cited a legal doctrine of fugitive disentitlement, which holds that a defendant who flees cannot subsequently call on the court for help.

/Digital Spy/
URL: http://www.today.az/news/entertainment/60163.html

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