Harvey Weinstein has been pictured arriving at court for the first day of his trial for rape and sexual assault.
The Hollywood film producer was seen walking into New York's Supreme Court with his team of lawyers on Monday morning.
The disgraced movie mogul emerged leaning on a walking aid following recent back surgery, sporting a dark suit and dishevelled hair.
The 67-year-old faces allegations that he raped one woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and performed a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006.
He has pleaded not guilty and says any sexual activity was consensual.
When asked outside the courtroom how his back felt, Weinstein responded with a thin smile and a so-so gesture with his hand.
Across the street, actresses and other women who allege they were sexually harassed or assaulted by Weinstein said he was undeserving of anyone’s pity.
“He looked cowardly. He wouldn’t look at us. He wouldn’t make eye contact,” said Sarah Ann Masse, a performer and writer who alleged Weinstein once sexually harassed her during a job interview.
“This trial is a cultural reckoning regardless of its legal outcome,” she said.
The court was due to make its jury selection on Monday and the trial is due to last around two months.
Inside, his lawyers and prosecutors sparred about procedural matters during a brief hearing before Weinstein departed in an SUV.
It has been more than two years since allegations first came to widespread public attention and catalysed the #MeToo movement.
If he is convicted of the most serious charges against him, two counts of predatory sexual assault, Weinstein faces a mandatory life sentence.
For that to happen, prosecutors must demonstrate Weinstein had a habit of violating women.
To that end, they plan to call actress Annabella Sciorra, who says Weinstein forced himself inside her Manhattan apartment in 1993 or 1994 and raped her after she starred in a film for his movie studio.
They also want jurors to hear from some of the more than 75 women who have come forward publicly to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault. The first allegations were brought to light by The New York Times and The New Yorker in October 2017
Weinstein's lawyer, Donna Rotunno, has argued the case is weak and said she plans to aggressively cross-examine the accusers.
Rotunno said she was hopeful a fair jury could be found that would not pre-judge the case.
“In this great country, you are innocent until proven guilty,” she told reporters outside court.
Picking a jury for Weinstein's trial could take a while, in part because immense media attention on the case could mean some potential jurors already have their minds made up.
Weinstein's lawyers tried to get the trial moved out of Manhattan, but a court rejected the bid.
The judge has not said how many other accusers will be allowed to give evidence
Speaking outside court as proceedings began, a group of Weinstein’s accusers spoke with reporters, including Masse, actresses Rosanna Arquette, Dominique Huett and Rose McGowan, model Paula Williams, Louise Godbold and actress and journalist Lauren Sivan
McGowan thanked the women who will give evidence during the trial as alleged victims for representing many more women who may never get their day in court.
“They are standing for us, and I am immensely proud of them,” she said.
“We didn’t have our day. But hopefully they will. Their victory will be our victory. Their loss will be our loss.”
