Judge Denies Roman Polanski's Request to End Notorious Rape Case

Los Angeles Judge Denies Request of Film Director Roman Polanski to Resolve Sexual Assault Case in Absentia

French-Polish film director Roman Polanski is seen during a press conference at the Bonarowski Palace Hotel on October 30, 2015 in Krakow, Poland. (Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images)

Roman Polanski might be best known to movie fans for directing films such as Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, but his name has been in and out of the news for 40 years for a much more sinister reason.

In 1977, the director was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. He was subsequently indicted on a number of charges including rape. After agreeing to a plea bargain, but then worried the judge would renege and hand down a stiffer penalty, he skipped town to France in ’78 just before his sentencing.

Now, per The New York Times, a judge in Los Angeles has denied the 83-year-old Polanski’s request to resolve the case in absentia. In other words, per the Times, “The court has ruled that Mr. Polanski, who has evaded extradition for decades while living in Switzerland, Poland, and elsewhere, must return to the United States to resolve the case.”

Below, watch a revealing BBC interview with Samantha Geimer (née Bailey), the woman whom Polanski assaulted. (Some of the content may not be appropriate for an office environment.)