Prosecutors say Weinstein a 'seasoned' predator in opening arguments

Harvey Weinstein is a "seasoned" sexual predator and rapist who abused his power as a movie-producing titan to prey on vulnerable aspiring actresses, prosecutors said Wednesday during opening arguments in his trial.

Weinstein, wearing a dark suit, sat shaking his head and scribbling notes for his lawyers as New York Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast painted a picture of a 300-pound (140 kilogram) bully who violently raped, humiliated and manipulated several women, leaving them traumatised for years.

"It will be clear throughout this trial that the defendant knew he was preying on the naive and the defenceless," Hast told the court, saying many of his victims had come from broken homes.

"They didn't know they were being lured in on false pretenses. They thought they had got their big break. He was the old lady in the gingerbread house luring the kids."
And she accused Weinstein of treating actress Jessica Mann, who says Weinstein raped her a New York hotel room in March 2013, like a "rag doll."
High-profile women's rights attorney Gloria Allred, who represents two women involved in the trial, has said the accusers can expect a "brutal cross-examination."