A British actress who accused Roman Polanski of raping her sold a story about her life as a 14-year-old prostitute for £30,000, a French court has heard.
Charlotte Lewis' interview, now 56, also included lurid details about how she pursued the film director romantically with the intention of becoming his lover.
The will is key evidence in a libel trial against Polanski, 90, who denies assaulting Ms Lewis in 1986 when she was 16.
His lawyers told the Paris Correctional Court that Ms Lewis never reported the attack to the police.
Instead, she waited until 2010 when she made the claim during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival.
Charlotte Lewis (pictured) made the rape allegations public during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010
Roman Polanski (pictured right, 1986) is being sued for libel in France by Charlotte Lewis
Lewis sold her story to the now-defunct News of the World newspaper in 1999 for £30,000, with journalist Stuart White (pictured) taking over the story
When Polanski defended himself in a 2019 Paris Match article by portraying Ms. Lewis as a liar and former child prostitute, she sued him for defamation.
Referring to the 1999 interview she sold to the now-defunct News of the World newspaper for £30,000, she told the Paris court: “People believed what was written about me in the articles.” me a prostitute.'
But Stuart White, the British journalist who wrote the article, said he stood by its accuracy.
Mr White, 77, told the court it was written with the full cooperation of Ms Lewis and told the story of how she became “a luxury call girl at fourteen”.
Mr White said: “Ms Lewis and I have discussed at length how best to publish and write down these new revelations.”
“Our intention, as I told her, was to be as compassionate as possible and write the story accordingly.”
Mr White said: “I remember she was pleased with the way I had presented the story, making it clear that she had been a victim of predators.”
In 2019, Ms Lewis asked Mr White to provide an affidavit saying he had made up the prostitute story, but he refused.
Mr. White recalled saying, “Charlotte, if you think we made up this story, why did you wait twenty years to complain?”
“They could have sued the News of the World the following week.”
Ms Lewis replied that she had only read the article ten years later – something Mr White described as “absurd and unbelievable”.
Mr White was the only witness called by the defense in the day-long libel trial, which ended around midnight on Tuesday.
Polanski pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977
In 2019, Lewis asked White to submit an affidavit saying he made up the prostitute story, but he refused
It was the first time that Polanski, a married father of two, was in court since he fled America in 1977
It was the first time since fleeing America in 1977 that Polanski, a married father of two, appeared in court after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.
Still, he stayed away from court, instead leaving his lawyers to defend him against allegations he vehemently denies.
Polanski – whose hit films include Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist – used the 2019 interview with Paris March to call the rape allegations a “vile lie.”
He also produced a copy of the News of the World article in which Ms Lewis was quoted as saying: “I was fascinated by him and wanted to be his mistress.”
Polanski remains a fugitive from American justice after having sex with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in Hollywood in 1977 after plying her with champagne.
He then fled to his home country of France, which does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
He is now married to actress Emmanuelle Seigner, 58, with whom he has two children who are now actors – Morgane Polanski, 31, and Elvis Polanski, 26.
The libel trial against Polanski is now complete and the verdict will be announced on May 14th.