Police urge women to come forward after years of covered up alleged abuse by Weinstein

Police departments across the world are looking into allegations of abuse against millionaire movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

In London, police are now investigating a complaint of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein, British media reported, and the New York Police Department is asking anyone who has information about crimes committed by Weinstein to file an official complaint with the department.

Twenty-six women have already made public reports of sexual harassment, assault and rape against Weinstein since the New York Times ran its investigation into his decades-long coverup of the alleged crimes.

London police told the Associated Press that someone reported Wednesday that they had been sexually assaulted by Weinstein somewhere the London area in the 1980s.

“The allegation will be assessed by officers from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command,” the London Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement to VICE News.

The NYPD said Wednesday that they had reviewed their files to see if they had any outstanding complaints in the wake of dozens of new allegations — including one woman, Lucia Evans, who said Weinstein raped her in New York City in 2004. NYPD spokesperson Detective Sophia Mason said the department has not found any so far.

“We can’t open investigation until someone comes forward,” she said. “We’re encouraging anyone who has information to come forward.”

The NYPD previously investigated the alleged assault and harassment of Ambra Battilana Gutierrez in 2015, even making her wear a wire which yielded a brutal recording of Weinstein attempting to coerce Gutierrez into his hotel room, which was published this week in the New Yorker. At the time, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance declined to prosecute Weinstein and closed the investigation. And because the statute of limitations on misdemeanors in New York is two years, it is unlikely the city will re-open that investigation.

In a statement to VICE News, Vance’s Chief Assistant Karen Friedman-Agnifilo called the reports “disgraceful.”

“If we could have prosecuted Harvey Weinstein for the conduct that occurred in 2015, we would have,” she said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said they haven’t received any complaints as of yet.