Polanski to Remain in Jail After Losing Appeal
Oscar-winning director poses a flight risk, says Swiss court
Updated 7:30 AM EDT, Tue, Oct 20, 2009
Academy Award-winning director Roman Polanski eluded authorities once -- and Swiss officials won't let it happen again.
The 76-year-old filmmaker, who has been on the lam for more than three decades after he fled the U.S. during his 1977 rape trial, was denied an appeal on Tuesday by a Swiss criminal court that would have sprung him from a prison.
Polanski, considered a convicted felon and a fugitive in the U.S., pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl before fleeing the U.S. He was arrested in September while accepting a lifetime achievement award at a film festival in Switzerland.
The director of "Rosmary's Baby" and "The Pianist" is being held in a Swiss jail ahead of his possible extradition to the U.S. He was living as a fugitive in France before his Sept. 26 arrest.
"He was shocked, dumbfounded, but he is in a fighting mood, and he is very determined to defend himself," Polanski's attorney, Herve Temime said after the arrest.
Polanski's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by Charles Manson's cult in the late 1960s.
First Published: Oct 20, 2009 5:40 AM EDT
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