ID :
17385
Fri, 08/29/2008 - 15:41
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http://m.oananews.org//node/17385
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Prosecutors drop 30 charges against India-born designer
Silicon Valley, Aug 28 (PTI) More than half of the 59
charges against India-born celebrity fashion designer Anand
Jon have been dropped by the U.S. prosecutors, just as the
jury selection was set to begin in his trial for allegedly
sexually assaulting aspiring models.
Prosecutors in Los Angeles announced that they were
striking 30 of the 59 charges against the 34-year-old designer
without specifying reasons for the move Wednesday.
The decision to strike the counts, involving 10 of the 20
alleged victims, was made just as jury selection was set to
get under way in Los Angeles (L.A.) County Superior Court.
Jon is a well-known figure in the celebrity fashion world
and designed clothes for Paris Hilton, singer Mary J Blige and
others. He was involved in the show "America's Next Top Model"
and was planning to star in a reality TV show for VH1 about
the fashion world.
Prosecutors with the L.A. County district attorney's
office said they still have "a very strong case" against Jon,
local media reported.
"These are the victims that prosecutors are electing to
proceed with at this time," Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for
the district attorney's office, was quoted as saying, adding
that lawyers for the other alleged victims could move to
reinstate the charges during trial.
The charges against Jon include forcible rape, lewd acts
upon a child, contributing to the delinquency of a minor,
sexual battery by restraint and attempted forcible oral
copulation.
The alleged incidents occurred from August 2000 to March
5, 2007, prosecutors said. Many of the alleged assaults were
said to have occurred in Jon's Beverly Hills condominium.
Jon's New York attorney, William Petrillo, said the
prosecutors' choice to dismiss 30 charges confirms what he has
been saying all along - that many of the cases against his
client are weak.
"California seems to think half its witnesses are
unbelievable," Petrillo was quoted as saying by 'Newsday'.
Gloria Allred, a Los Angeles attorney who represents
Natalie Pack, one of the women accusing Jon, said the Los
Angeles charges involving Pack were dismissed.
However, she said she believes prosecutors are merely
"streamlining" their case and expects that Pack will still
have a role in the case against Jon, but did not say what.
The stricken charges involved 10 alleged victims aged
16-26. The remaining 29 charges involve another 10 alleged
victims aged 14-21.
According to the New York-based designer's website, he
has won numerous fashion honours, including a 2002 People's
Choice award for "Best New Designer" and was named the 2002-03
Fashion Week of the Americas "International New Star." PTI KIM
BDS
charges against India-born celebrity fashion designer Anand
Jon have been dropped by the U.S. prosecutors, just as the
jury selection was set to begin in his trial for allegedly
sexually assaulting aspiring models.
Prosecutors in Los Angeles announced that they were
striking 30 of the 59 charges against the 34-year-old designer
without specifying reasons for the move Wednesday.
The decision to strike the counts, involving 10 of the 20
alleged victims, was made just as jury selection was set to
get under way in Los Angeles (L.A.) County Superior Court.
Jon is a well-known figure in the celebrity fashion world
and designed clothes for Paris Hilton, singer Mary J Blige and
others. He was involved in the show "America's Next Top Model"
and was planning to star in a reality TV show for VH1 about
the fashion world.
Prosecutors with the L.A. County district attorney's
office said they still have "a very strong case" against Jon,
local media reported.
"These are the victims that prosecutors are electing to
proceed with at this time," Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for
the district attorney's office, was quoted as saying, adding
that lawyers for the other alleged victims could move to
reinstate the charges during trial.
The charges against Jon include forcible rape, lewd acts
upon a child, contributing to the delinquency of a minor,
sexual battery by restraint and attempted forcible oral
copulation.
The alleged incidents occurred from August 2000 to March
5, 2007, prosecutors said. Many of the alleged assaults were
said to have occurred in Jon's Beverly Hills condominium.
Jon's New York attorney, William Petrillo, said the
prosecutors' choice to dismiss 30 charges confirms what he has
been saying all along - that many of the cases against his
client are weak.
"California seems to think half its witnesses are
unbelievable," Petrillo was quoted as saying by 'Newsday'.
Gloria Allred, a Los Angeles attorney who represents
Natalie Pack, one of the women accusing Jon, said the Los
Angeles charges involving Pack were dismissed.
However, she said she believes prosecutors are merely
"streamlining" their case and expects that Pack will still
have a role in the case against Jon, but did not say what.
The stricken charges involved 10 alleged victims aged
16-26. The remaining 29 charges involve another 10 alleged
victims aged 14-21.
According to the New York-based designer's website, he
has won numerous fashion honours, including a 2002 People's
Choice award for "Best New Designer" and was named the 2002-03
Fashion Week of the Americas "International New Star." PTI KIM
BDS
