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Director Polanski Arrested On 1978 Warrant
27 September 2009, 11:18

Roman Polanski was facing extradition to the US after he was taken into Swiss custody on a 1978 arrest warrant.

In a statement the Zurich Film Festival said the Oscar-winning director was held on his arrival in Switzerland.

A spokesman for the city's police confirmed Polanski had been detained, but gave no further details.

The Swiss Justice Ministry was reported as saying he would be extradited to the US.

Polanski was making a film of the Robert Harris book The Ghost, who told Sky News he was "utterly stunned" by the arrest.

"The warrant is 31 years old and Roman Polanski has a house in Switzerland, I have worked with him there two or three times in the last year or so," he said.

"He has travelled freely throughout Europe and in Switzerland - filming has been based in Germany.

"He has just come back from a holiday in Greece back.

"I'm amazed this should happen now, and I cannot begin to fathom what reason lies behind it."

Polanski fled America more than 30 years ago after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The 76-year-old has been unable to travel to the US since the warrant was issued.

Polanski, who is a French citizen, has been trying to have the case thrown out on grounds of misconduct.

The director claims the now-deceased judge who arranged a plea bargain later went back on it.

In May, a Californian judge dismissed Polanski's bid because he failed to appear in court.

Victim Samantha Geimer, now 45-years-old, has also called for the case to be dismissed and the saga put to an end.

She has already sued Polanski, reaching an undisclosed settlement.

The director had been due to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival, organisers said.

Polanski's early films include Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown.

More recently, he was awarded the 2002 best director Oscar for The Pianist and released a remake of the Charles Dickens' classic Oliver Twist in 2005.

In 1969 Polanski's pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate, was brutally murdered along with four other people by followers of Charles Manson.

Cult member Susan Atkins, convicted in 1971 for her part in the killings, died in prison last week.

Mark wrote:What IS the statute of limitations on statutory rape I wonder?

GrahamKennedy wrote:On the other... the girl herself is something like 43 now. From what I've read she says she was willing back then and has no regrets about what happened at all, and would much rather everybody just forgot about the whole thing.

GrahamKennedy wrote:So what exactly is served by locking this guy up? What good does it do?

Tyyr wrote:

GrahamKennedy wrote:So what exactly is served by locking this guy up? What good does it do?

The point is made that you can't just go on an extended European holiday and be ok in the eyes of the law.

I'm glad the woman has come to terms with what happened and has moved on. The law doesn't have that luxury.

Nickswitz wrote:I think the bigger thing they are trying to prove is that just because you are a celeb you still can't get away with things... Which, after this long I think that no one really knew him besides as Sharron Tate's husband...

GrahamKennedy wrote:Do you really think that is an issue? Is there a flood of US child molesters who have run off to France for thirty years since Polanski did it? If they don't extradite him, do you really think it would instigate such a flood?

Actually in this case it probably does. I'm not a lawyer but extradition is rarely a cut and dried thing and judges often have discretionary powers.

GrahamKennedy wrote:

Nickswitz wrote:I think the bigger thing they are trying to prove is that just because you are a celeb you still can't get away with things... Which, after this long I think that no one really knew him besides as Sharron Tate's husband...

Well just for me, whilst I've long heard of Roman Polanski as a filmmaker, I never have and still don't have any idea who Sharon Tate might be.