Porn star Ron Jeremy was committed to a state mental hospital after being found unfit to stand trial on numerous counts of rape and sexual assault.
Jeremy can be held in the hospital for up to two years. A hearing on his progress is scheduled for May 8, a spokesman for the Los Angeles District Attorney said.
The former adult entertainer, 69, has been charged with 30 counts of sexual abuse – after being accused by 21 victims, some of whom were as young as 15.
Prosecutors allege Jeremy – born Ronald Jeremy Hyatt – held some of the women and raped or sexually abused them – and had sex with others who were asleep or unconscious.
But in January, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Harris ruled that Jeremy was not authorized to assist in his defense, according to his attorney, Stuart Goldfarb. Harris said the former porn star was suffering from “terminal neurocognitive decline” after medical reports said he had dementia, was “incoherent” and suffered from hearing loss.
Porn star Ron Jeremy was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial in Los Angeles on rape and other sexual allegations
Ron Jeremy, 69, is said to have dementia
Jeremy was one of the biggest names in the adult film industry, appearing in more than 2,000 films starting in the 1970s. He has been in prison since his arrest in 2020.
His severe dementia was established through a review of medical records and interviews with Jeremy.
A hearing on whether to transfer Jeremy to a state hospital will be held next month, the Associated Press said
Lianne Young, a former British porn star named Billie Britt, accused Jeremy of assaulting her at a Halloween party on the Sunset Strip in 2000.
She was wearing a bikini at the former House of Blues during a porn industry Halloween party when she says Jeremy pushed her onto a table and forced himself into her.
According to Young, the ordeal lasted only a few seconds as she fought Jeremy away from herself. Young said at least three other industry executives observed the attack, but none of them responded.
“People just said, ‘This is Ron,'” Young said.
When she found out the defendant would not stand trial because of his mental incompetence, Young said she felt “numb.”
She told the LA Times, “They knew about his condition before they involved all of us.
Ron Jeremy can be locked up in a mental institution for two years
Jeremy was committed to a psychiatric hospital after being deemed mentally unfit for a trial
Lianne Young, a former British porn star named Billie Britt, accused Jeremy of assaulting her at a Halloween party on the Sunset Strip in 2000
“They knew very well that he had dementia, so I’m very disappointed that they didn’t resolve that part before they let us go on this emotional journey for two and a half years.”
In additional comments to The Mirror, she said: “I really can’t put into words how angry I am. I will never get a closure.
“He could have been brought to justice much sooner, but Ron was being built into this king who was untouchable and his lawyers kept delaying the case.
“I felt abused again and like a pawn in a game. It felt like being hit in the stomach by a tennis ball going 200mph.’
In August 2020, Jeremy tweeted: “Can’t wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you everyone for the support.’
Ron Jeremy pictured in 1988
What is dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders, i.e. conditions affecting the brain.
There are many different types of dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common.
Some people can have a combination of different types of dementia.
Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in their own unique way.
Dementia is a global problem, but it is most prevalent in wealthier countries where people are likely to live into old age.
How many people are affected?
According to the CDC, around 5.8 million people are living with dementia in the United States today.
About 5.6 million people aged 65 and over have the disease, and about 200,000 people under age 65 have younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The risk of developing dementia also increases with age.
Diagnosis rates are improving, but it is believed that many people with dementia are still undiagnosed.
Is there a cure?
There is currently no cure for dementia, but new drugs can slow its progression, and the earlier it is detected, the more effective the treatments are.
The charges against Jeremy included 12 counts of violent rape, seven counts of violent oral copulation, six counts of sexual assault and two counts of penetration while the victim was asleep or unconscious, according to the Los Angeles County Attorney’s Office.
The alleged crimes took place at nightclubs and bars in the Los Angeles area, during a photo shoot and at Jeremy’s home, prosecutors said.
Jeremy was charged with four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object and two counts of sexual penetration by an unconscious or sleeping person.
Other charges included one count each of indecent assault on a child under the age of 14 or 15, sodomy by the use of force and assault with intent to commit rape.
LA District Attorney George Gascón said Jeremy’s alleged sexual assaults happened over the course of more than 23 years and involved 21 victims ranging in age from 15 to 51.
Jeremy is said to have sexually assaulted and penetrated a 15-year-old girl named “Jane Doe 5” on June 12, 2004, according to the August 19 indictment obtained by .
Another girl, 17, was allegedly raped in 2008 at a home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the court documents, she was referred to as “Jane Doe 22.”
Among the initial allegations against Jeremy, prosecutors allege that he raped a 19-year-old woman during a photo shoot in the San Fernando Valley in October 1996.
The indictment alleges that Jeremy “unlawfully” engaged in sexual intercourse with “Jane Doe 19” in 2000 through “force, violence, coercion, threats, or fear of imminent and unlawful bodily harm.”
Jeremy was also accused of sexually assaulting another woman at a City of Industry strip club between 2002 and 2003, officials said.
Another woman, 21, went to Jeremy’s home where she was allegedly sexually assaulted in 2010. In the court documents, she was referred to as “Jane Doe 23.”