# How DO You prosecute a 31 year Old case? (R. Polanski)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prosecute-a-31-year-old-case-r-polanski/511846>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 28, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prosecute-a-31-year-old-case-r-polanski/511846 "2009-09-28T14:06:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prosecute-a-31-year-old-case-r-polanski/511846/61 "2009-09-30T23:14:27Z")

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> [@ArchiveGuy](#):
>
> He did win an Academy Award for Best Director for 2001’s _The Pianist_. He did not appear at the ceremony, of course. Harrison Ford (the presenter) accepted the award on his behalf, and I don’t remember a Standing O (though there was obviously some applause–he did win, after all).

There was a standing ovation, starting with Martin Scorcese (who has signed the petition calling for Polanski’s release, and who was also nominated in the category that year) and Jack Nicholson, whose house Polanski raped his victim in. There is video of this if you look for it, I watched it last night on my other computer and can’t find it at the moment.

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prosecute-a-31-year-old-case-r-polanski/511846/62 "2009-09-30T23:28:43Z")

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Yeah, I’ve heard other cites to that effect, so I’ll take it on faith (I was just going on memory).

Still, giving him a Standing O for a well-deserved Oscar is one thing (and not really indicative of anything other than industry admiration); the petition is much sadder and more troubling.

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**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prosecute-a-31-year-old-case-r-polanski/511846/63 "2009-10-01T01:35:51Z")

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> [@ManiacMan](#):
>
> How much time could he get for the actual rape (a 13 year old child for goodness sakes!), and for also fleeing? I suppose a new trial would have to be held for the fleeing part. Would that be contempt of court?

It’s [section 1320.5](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11612049#post11612049) of the California Penal Code, he gets one extra year for “willfully evading the process of the court by failing to appear”. IIRC he had already pleaded down to a lesser offense of unlawful acts with a minor or something like that, and his attorney was asking for the lightest possible penalty, but the judge apparently hinted that he would have nothing of that and the perp got spooked.

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