US actor Danny Masterson has been given a severe punishment of 30 years to life in prison because he raped two women.
Masterson was famous for his role in the TV show “That ’70s Show” when he committed these crimes in the early 2000s.
The prosecutors argued that Masterson used his prominent position within the Church of Scientology to avoid being held responsible for his actions.
Before his sentencing, the victims of his crimes were allowed to speak in court about how the assaults had affected them. Actress Leah Remini, who used to be part of the Church of Scientology, supported and comforted these women during this difficult time.
One of the victims wished she had reported the crimes to the police earlier. Another woman forgave Masterson but made it clear that she wouldn’t carry the burden of his wrongdoing any longer.
Masterson did not say anything during the hearing, and his wife, Bijou Phillips, was visibly upset when the judge handed down the maximum sentence.
Masterson was found guilty in May after a retrial. The first trial in 2022 ended without a verdict. After his conviction, he was considered a flight risk and taken into custody.
The actor was convicted of raping two of the three women who testified that he had sexually assaulted them at his home in Hollywood from 2001 to 2003, during the peak of his TV fame. They also mentioned that he had given them drugs before the assaults.
The charges related to the third accuser resulted in a mistrial, and prosecutors do not plan to retry that case.
A lawyer representing two of the victims praised their courage in coming forward and holding a sexual predator accountable. These women intend to continue speaking out about the role the Church of Scientology allegedly played during their abuse.
One of the women described being rejected by her mother, who is still a practicing Scientologist, for speaking out against Masterson.
Another victim said she had been harassed by the Church of Scientology for almost seven years since she reported the abuse but had no regrets about doing so.
Masterson faced accusations of rape in 2017, during the #MeToo movement. He denied the allegations, claiming that all the encounters were consensual.
The charges came after a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Prosecutors didn’t file charges in two other cases due to lack of evidence and the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that the Church of Scientology had helped cover up the assaults, a claim the organization vehemently denied.
At the time of the assaults, Masterson and all three accusers were Scientologists. Some of the women said they took years to come forward because Church officials discouraged them from reporting the rapes to the police.
Scientology officials even offered one survivor money and a non-disclosure agreement to keep quiet, according to prosecutors.
During the trial, the judge allowed discussion of Scientology’s beliefs and practices, which angered the organization.
After the May verdict, the Church of Scientology stated that there was no evidence supporting the allegations that it had harassed the accusers.
At the recent sentencing, Jessica Barth, who founded Voices in Action during the #MeToo movement, was present. She was one of the women who accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of abuse. Her nonprofit encourages others to report abuse.
Before the hearing, the judge rejected a motion from Masterson’s defense team for a new trial, according to a court official in Los Angeles.
SOURCE:BBC