In a shocking decision, Switzerland decided not to extradite Roman Polanski to the US and he is now free.  I have mixed feelings about this.

In a shocking decision, Switzerland decided not to extradite Roman Polanski to the US and he is now free.  I have mixed feelings about this.

 

Apparently Switzerland asked the LA court for records of the original trial to clarify what has always been the most problematic aspect of the case - the original judge's apparent promise that Polanksi would not serve jail-time and then abruptly backtracked on it - and the LA court refused to give it to them. In the absence of other information, the Swiss authorities concluded that Polanski had served his time and let him go.

 

That Polanski committed a horrendous crime and has not been adequately punished according to American law is not in question, but it does sound like the American courts did themselves no favours in this situation. The judge who handled the original trial was so inept that both the prosecution and defence approved his firing from the case in the late 1970s, and it sounds like, once again, his mishandling of the case has come back to cause problems.

 

I think I'm with Luc Besson on this one. Polanski does need to man up and face the music. Due to the total mishandling of the original case, his victim's public forgiveness (admittedly in return for a massive wad of cash, but still) and so on, it is questionable if he'd serve more than a cursory jail sentence anyway.

Still can't believe Hollywood is all saying "he's such a good director, he can't go to jail for 'that'"

 

Then this whole Mel Gipson thing hits the fans, and everyone jumps on his ass.

(As much as I think its possible, I can see those tapes being digitally altered... I could probably make that same tape with enough mel footage... :P)

Mel Gibson thing?  The anti-Jew and DUI thing?

Mel Gibson thing?  The anti-Jew and DUI thing?

 

And beating his girlfriend and getting his racist slurs to her caught on tape...

hmmm what a dick