A surprise arrest at the Zurich airport, detention at the hands of Swiss authorities, and a high-profile extradition process that could take weeks or months. The irony is that for Roman Polanski, the acclaimed director accused of child rape three decades ago, this latest ordeal could lead to the one thing he's lacked since: his freedom.

Polanski's arrest as he arrived Saturday in Switzerland for a film festival honor could potentially spur on his legal team's recent motion to dismiss charges that have dogged him since he fled the U.S. for France in 1978, a year after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.

But it could also elevate his case into an international ordeal � involving the governments of Switzerland, France, Poland and the United States � and potentially complicate his possible extradition.

Details.

[So, what do you think? Would you press for extradition and sentencing? What about bail jumping? Feeling any sympathy for the famous director?]

Why should someone’s international acclaim shield them from being held accountable for sexual assault of a child? Is it because of his ability to travel with impunity from country to country…to smoothly rub shoulders with the artistic elite…or hob nob with international jet setters? Maybe because he lost a wife to a band of psycho murders. Or is it because he makes good movies. The fact of the matter is that Polanski is an admitted child molester. And a child molester needs to be brought to justice and international red tape and sentimentality needs to step aside. Besides, his movies weren’t that good anyway.

Dude. She was only 13. Its hard to have sympathy for him.

... but I do have sympathy for the victim who is now grown with a family of her own. She says the publicity is hurtful and wishes it would all just go away. Any trial would be a media circus.

She was 13 years old and he gave her drugs and liquor. Hang him high!

I read that Anjelica was present at the time of the crime, which occurred in Jack Nicholson's house (but he was absent). I suppose any statute, if applicable, would have run as against her?

Like the victim, I'm imagine Nicholson and Houston would also wish the whole thing away!

JAS

Why isn't there a new charge for flight? He shouldn't get to manipulate the system by avoiding the courts for so long.

I have a hard time seeing why we should have any sympathy for him just because he's managed to elude the system for so long. He made the choice to skip the country instead of resolving the issue at the time

And isn't it interesting that the media so easily accepts any claim that the perpetrator had a justified right to run off, rather than litigate any claim that the judge was acting improperly? This seems to be a clear example of the media skipping its duty to be impartial and report the news. Instead, it seems to be aimed toward convincing the public that child abuse is really not that bad.

The timing seems odd to me. All these years as a fugitive during which time he makes several movies (one even wins an Oscar) and only now he gets arrested? I hate to sound all Birthery-Truthery, but this seems kind of pre-arranged.

It does seem prearranged. My guess is the Swiss will released him soon so that Polanski won�t have to miss his coffee date with the other perv-producer, Woody Allen�the two of them can sit around at some European caf�, complain about the puritanical colonials in America and ogle the under-age French waitresses. To think we pay to see and exclaim over their movies.

Guess I am culturally deprived, but I don't pay to see their movies. And I agree, it does seem set up -- he has been in the public eye since fleeing the jurisdiction. I don't understand why he hadn't been arrested years (decades) ago. He needs to face the music for his actions -- no one should get away with drugging and molesting a child.

Between the two of them, the only movie they've made that's worth the price of admission is "Chinatown."

Being an artist is not a defense to a crime. The media is doing much to confuse social duties with social diversions.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez30-2009sep30,0,4549479.column?page=1

An excellent editorial in the LA Times calling out those who are supporting this defendant.

Of course Polanski should be extradited back to California to face the punishment he escaped by fleeing the country. As for those who support him, I can only say their values are foreign to most of us.

this was interesting--as was the editorial written by the victim. Very interesting and sad how our victims are put through the wringer. She said the publicity for a year was worse than the actual attack, and I could see how that could be the case.

Some blue collar guy from east LA would get life. So why not this sexual predator?

Why? Because the state apparently doesn't have a case anymore--dead witnesses, reluctant victim (who already settled out of court with him on the civil side), integrity of the case prejudiced by some type of unnamed judicial misconduct, and more ...

Polanski's Next Escape

Isn't it galling?

OJ
Robert Blake
The late Michael Jackson
The late Incestuous John Phillips
Woody Allen
Good old boys
Good old girls

Shannon-

The dead witnesses and reluctant victim would be more persuasive if it weren't for the fact that Polanski pled guilty in open court. The man admitted that he's a criminal, but then when it came to his attention that the judge wasn't inclined to give him the sweetheart deal that he'd managed to finagle, fled the country.

In the end, my feeling about it is this- the only legitimacy us prosecutors have is a direct result of following the laws, procedures, and safeguards of justice. All of that is out the window if we were to say "Well, whoops, you managed to live a celebrated life abroad long enough, and there was that Oscar, so don't worry about coming back for the punishment phase of your trial for raping that thirteen year old girl."

If Polanski alleges that there was prosecutorial or judicial misconduct at the time, then the proper response would have been to file an appeal and a grievance after sentencing. Becoming an international fugitive because you don't like the verdict shouldn't be an option.