|
 Harland Braun, the Los Angeles attorney for the Oscar-winning
director, said on Thursday that Polanski wishes to be able to
travel freely and to visit the grave of his wife, Sharon Tate,
who was murdered in Los Angeles by followers of Charles Manson
in 1969.
Braun said he had written to the judge in Polanski's California
case and a Feb. 24 hearing has been set.
The case of French-Polish Polanski, 83, remains a cause celebre
after four decades. He pleaded guilty in Los Angeles in 1977 to
having sex with a 13-year-old girl and served 42 days in jail
after a plea bargain, but later fled the United States, fearing
a lengthy jail sentence if the agreement was overruled.
Both Poland and Switzerland have overruled U.S. requests for
Polanski's extradition in the past seven years.
Braun has now asked Los Angeles Superior Court judge Scott
Gordon to unseal testimony from the prosecutor in the 1977 case.
The unsealed testimony, along decisions in Poland and
Switzerland, should establish that Polanski did cut a deal in
1977 and that he owes no more time in custody, Braun said.
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 "Between the Swiss court decision and the Polish decision ...
it has now been judicially determined that Roman owes no more
custody time. Therefore, if the Los Angeles District Attorney
and Court recognize these decisions as they should, he can
return to LA to conclude the case without fear of being thrown
in jail," Braun said.
Samantha Geimer, the victim in the case, has long made clear she
believes Polanski's self-imposed exile has been punishment
enough.
Polanski's movie career has flourished despite the rape case
hanging over him. In 2002, he won an Oscar for directing the
Holocaust film "The Pianist" but did not travel to the United
States to collect it.
Last month, however, he withdrew from heading the jury at
France's Cesar film awards, the country's equivalent of the
Oscars, after an outcry from women's groups over what they said
was France's "scandalous protection" of Polanski.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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