Arrest of Pedophile Polanski Angers the Cultural Elite!

On February 13, 1977 Roman Polanski visited the residence of Samantha Gailey, a 13 year old, who lived with her mother in Woodland Hills, California.

Mr. Polanski showed Samantha a copy of Vogue Magazine and asked her if she would be interested in being photographed like the models in the magazine. Samantha indicated that she would like to photographed..

One week later Mr. Polanski returned to Samantha’s home and drove her a short distance where they parked and walked up a hill and Mr. Polanski told 13 year old Samantha Gailey to remove her shirt and bra and he took several photographs of her.

On March 10, 1977 Mr. Polanski again returned to the Gailey residence and took Samantha to a his friend Jack Nicholson’s friends house (Mr. Nicholson was away at the time) where he served her champagne and drugs and then after photographing her in the nude proceeded to have oral sex as well as vaginal and anal intercourse with the 13 year old girl.

Of course the 43 year old Mr. Polanski asked Samantha not to mention their illicit activities to her mother but you know that she did.

Polanski was arrested shortly thereafter and charged with six criminal counts:

1. rape of a minor

2. rape by use of a drug

3. committing a lewd act upon a person less than 14 years of age

4. oral copulation

5. Sodomy

6. furnishing drugs to a minor

The director pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse in 1978 with a 13-year-old girl. Prior to sentencing he had served 42 days but then he learned that the judge might reject the plea bargain and on the day of his sentencing in 1978, aware the judge might  sentence him to more prison time, Polanski fled to France. He has never been back to the United States since.

With Polanski’s recent arrest in Switzerland the French cultural intelligentsia and our Hollywood elite are now crying foul, arguing that is unfair to now attempt to bring this 76 year old man man to justice for a crime that is over 30 years old.

Right here at home, Tom O'Neill, the senior editor of In Touch Weekly. On September 28, during a CNN interview, O'Neill first claimed that Polanski "seduced" the young girl when it's obvious after reading her grand jury testimony that she was raped. Also, during that same interview, O'Neil argued that Polanski shouldn't be extradited to the U.S. for a trial, saying:

“It's mind boggling why they're still pursuing this. I thought back in 2003 this was pretty much resolved when he was trying to get to Hollywood for the Oscars; his, uh, victim publicly went on Larry King and forgave him. It looked like a deal may have even been worked out with the courts behind the scenes, but he didn't pursue it. Then in 2005 an international warrant for his arrest was issued, which is different than just an American-based one. And we found out this case is still going on. And now this arrest at, uh, Zurich. It just seems that the prosecutors in Los Angeles won't let go these many years later.”

O'Neill, immersed in the world of celebrity gossip, can't believe the law would hold a celebrity to the same standards as regular people. But Polanski is finally facing the consequences of raping a young girl. All his fame, his Oscars and his wealth don't override the law. Nor do the intervening decades or his victim's reported forgiveness.

Peter J. Mahon