Polanski rape victim asks court to drop charges

Oct 27, 2009, 9:08 GMT

Los Angeles - The victim in the long-standing rape case against acclaimed film-maker Roman Polanski has asked a US appellate court to drop the charges against him, US media reported.

Samantha Geimer, 46, cited the relentless publicity surrounding the case and the disruption it was causing to her family life, her work and health, according to the Los Angeles Times on Monday.

The 76-year-old Polanski was arrested in Zurich on September 26 on an arrest warrant stemming from his admission to having unlawful sex with a then 13-year-old Geimer in California in 1977. Last week, the US officially requested his extradition.

Geimer's lawyer Lawrence Silver told the court Friday that his client has become the subject of renewed and unwanted media attention. 'Leave her alone,' he said in a statement.

She has received nearly 500 telephone calls from media around the world, including Germnay, Israel and Japan, since Polanski's arrest. Photographers have been camped outside her home in Hawaii, with some having approached Geimer's children, he said.

She has also reportedly been approached by leading US talk shows, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live.

Geimer testified before a grand jury in 1977 that Polanski had plied her with champagne before raping her during a photo shoot. Her attorneys at the time entered a plea deal and Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Polanski subsequently fled the United States. He never returned, not even to collect the Oscar he won for his film The Pianist in 2003.

In 1993, he settled a civil suit with Geimer, agreeing to pay her at least 500,000 dollars. It is not however known whether Geimer received any money.