L.A. DA George Gascon Paves Way to Unseal Testimony in Roman Polanski Child Rape Case That Could Lead to His Dismissal

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon (D) won’t oppose an effort to unseal key testimony in Roman Polanski’s child rape case, essentially siding with Polanski in a move that could lead to a dismissal and the filmmaker’s freedom after nearly 45 years as a fugitive.

The testimony in question comes from the original prosecutor in the 1978 rape case, Roger Gunson. The deposition was taken a little more than a decade ago during Polanski’s ultimately successful effort to avoid extradition from Switzerland.

While the exact nature of the Gunson testimony has never been revealed, the prosecutor is widely believed to have spelled out the nature of the unusual plea bargain arrived at by the case’s original judge, the late Laurence J. Rittenband.

Polanski, who is now 88, has alleged over the years that Rittenband reneged on the agreement after the filmmaker plead guilty to “unlawful sex with a minor” and served around 40 days in a California prison. Polanski has claimed he fled the country after the judge threatened to send him back to jail for an indefinite amount of time due to media pressure.

“After careful consideration of the victim’s wishes, the unique and extraordinary circumstances that led to his conditional exam and my commitment to transparency and accountability for all in the justice system, my office has determined it to be in the interest of justice to agree to the unsealing of these transcripts,”the DA’s office said in a press release.

“As this Court also noted, prosecutors have a broader role in the criminal justice system as guardians of systematic integrity. The Polanski case has tested the judicial system, and the combinations of interests that the People must consider during the prosecution of a case.”

In the past, the D.A.’s office has consistently opposed Polanski’s effort to unseal the testimony, arguing that the filmmaker must first return to the U.S. and surrender himself to authorities. Polanski has always refused to do so.

Significant hurdles still remain in the case. A judge would still have to agree to unseal the testimony, which could be another challenge for Polanski since the L.A. Superior Court system itself has been implicated in the case.

Polanski and his legal teams have alleged widespread misconduct on the part of the D.A.’s office and the court system throughout the years.

In 1977, Polanski drugged and anally raped a 13-year-old girl at the Los Angeles house of his Chinatown star Jack Nicholson. The case was the biggest celebrity scandal of its time, with Judge Rittenband presiding over a media circus that sensationalized its every development.

Polanski has alleged that an unusual plea agreement was reached and agreed upon by all sides of the case under which the filmmaker would plead guilty to a lesser charge — “unlawful sex with a minor,” which is essentially statutory rape — go to jail for 90 days as part of a “psychiatric evaluation,” and then be released. He would then voluntarily deport himself from the country.

The director entered the men’s prison in Chino, California, in 1978 and served a little more than 40 days after which prison officials released him after deciding he didn’t pose a threat to society.

The news media seized on his early release as an outrage, putting pressure on Rittenband to send Polanski back to jail.

Polanski has alleged that an enraged Rittenband was threatening to send him back to prison for an indefinite amount of time. It was then that the filmmaker fled the country, taking a plane to London, and then traveling to France, where he holds citizenship and isn’t subject to extradition.

In the subsequent decades, Polanski has attempted to resolve his case from Europe. But various judges over the years have consistently ruled that he must physically return to the U.S. in order to pursue the case. Polanski has refused, saying that the minute he steps foot in the U.S., he will be arrested and put in prison, adding that he has already served all the time that was asked of him.

George Gascon is facing a probably recall election in November as crime continues to soar throughout L.A. County due to his lenient policies on crime. As district attorney, Gascon has fought to eliminate all cash bail and to stop prosecuting certain crimes, claiming that the such tools adversely impact disadvantaged communities.

Gascon’s campaign received backing from leftist billionaire George Soros.

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