Judge rejects dismissal of Polanski case

A Los Angeles judge has rejected a call to dismiss a more than three-decade-old case against filmmaker Roman Polanski, but suggested he might reconsider if the Oscar-winning director appeared in court in person.

Polanski, 75,has lived in exile in France since 1978, when he fled the U.S. Though he had pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977 and served more than 40 days in prison, the director fled when the judge in the case threatened him with additional jail time and required his voluntary deportation.

The current action calling for the dismissal of the case emerged after the release of Marina Zenovich's acclaimed documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, which reveals new information about the now-deceased judge and other figures who manipulated the situation behind the scenes.

After reviewing evidence from both sides and watching the documentary, Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza told the Los Angeles courtroom that he agreed that there had been misconduct by the judge in the original case.

However, if Polanski wanted a new ruling, "he just needs to submit to the jurisdiction of this court."

Espinoza stayed a decision until May 7.

If the acclaimed director of Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby chose to return to the U.S., he would likely be arrested as a fugitive. Polanski, whohas said he will never again set foot in the U.S., won the best director Oscar for 2002's The Pianist in absentia.

One of the most vocal proponents of dismissing the case is Polanski's victim, a woman now 45 years old.

"The time has come for this case to end, your honour," said Lawrence Silver, her lawyer.