Ex-model tearfully tells jury that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she was 16

By MICHAEL R SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK AP A former model tearfully testified Thursday that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she was years old calling it the greater part horrifying thing I ever experienced to that point Kaja KEYE -ah Sokola an aspiring actor at the time advised jurors at Weinstein s MeToo retrial that the onetime movie honcho put his hand inside her underwear and made her touch his genitals at a Manhattan apartment in Sokola declared she saw Weinstein s eyes black and scary staring at her in a bathroom mirror as it happened Kaja Sokola arrives at Manhattan criminal court before Harvey Weinstein s trial on Thursday May in New York AP Photo Adam Gray Afterward she reported he recounted her to keep quiet about what had happened touting that he d made the careers of A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow and Pen lope Cruz and that he could help her Hollywood dreams come true I d never been in a situation like this Sokola testified as riveted jurors scribbled notes I felt stupid and ashamed and like it s my fault for putting myself in this position Weinstein is not charged with any crime in connection with the alleged assault which Sokola first detailed in a lawsuit a sparse years ago The timing put it outside the statute of limitations for criminal charges Sokola is testifying because Weinstein is charged with forcibly performing oral sex on her at a Manhattan hotel four years later around the time of her th birthday Prosecutors say it happened after Weinstein arranged for Sokola to be an extra in the film The Nanny Diaries Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan for his retrial on Thursday May in New York Steven Hirsch New York Post via AP Pool Sokola communicated the allegation to bureaucrats a inadequate days into Weinstein s first trial in but was not a part of that development Prosecutors added her to the retrial joining two women who testified in the first affair after his conviction was overturned last year Weinstein now looked down and away from Sokola as she recounted the earlier allegation pressing his left thumb and index finger against his face like a shield Sokola testified that she first met the then-studio boss at a Manhattan restaurant in three or four days before the alleged assault During the short chat she stated Weinstein sought her if she desired to be an actress A insufficient days later she revealed he invited her to lunch ostensibly to talk about acting but instead took her to an apartment where led her into a bedroom and then a bathroom instructed her to take her top off and assaulted her He communicated me to take my clothes off and I didn t want to do that I was panicking Sokola testified And then he disclosed that if I want to be an actress that s what actors do in films so I should get used to it If a director says you have you take your clothes off you have to take your clothes off I was scared I was scared of him Sokola avoided looking at Weinstein as she walked to the witness stand testifying for a second day after detailing on Wednesday her upbringing in Poland entr e into modeling and her professional career as a psychotherapist and author who lately launched a film production company She peered briefly at Weinstein when petitioned Thursday to point him out in court Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denies sexually assaulting anyone Related Articles Ex-model takes the stand in Harvey Weinstein s retrial The prior jury never heard about her Judge at Sean Diddy Combs trial scolds lawyer for calling prosecutors six pack of white women Jury selection in the Sean Diddy Combs sex trafficking trial expected to be completed Wednesday Smokey Robinson accused by former housekeepers of sexual assault and rape Photos Best and worst looks from the Met Gala His lawyers contend that his accusers consented to sexual encounters with him in hopes of getting movie and TV opportunities and the defense has emphasized that the women stayed in contact with him for a while after the alleged assaults The women meanwhile say the then-producer used the prospect of show business work to prey on them Sokola sued Weinstein after industry whispers about his behavior toward women became a chorus of society accusations in fueling the MeToo movement against sexual misconduct Prosecutors have revealed Sokola eventually received million in compensation Prosecutors have stated they began inspecting Sokola s states in but set the inquiry aside after Weinstein was convicted They revived the examination after New York s highest court reversed his conviction Weinstein s lawyers fought unsuccessfully to keep Sokola out of the retrial accusing prosecutors of smuggling an additional charge into the matter to try to bolster other accusers credibility One of the others Miriam Haley testified last week that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in The third accuser in the incident Jessica Mann is expected to testify later The Associated Press generally does not name sexual assault accusers without their permission which Haley Mann and Sokola have given