Not exactly. The DA made him a sweetheart deal (maybe because he was rich and famous?) but that deal was still contingent on the judge signing off on it. The judge looked at the facts in the case and decided not to do that. The idea of actually having to defend himself against the charges frightened Polanski so he fled. If someone wanted to claim I drugged and raped them and I was completely innocent then I'd fight like hell to defend myself. I'm also not white and rich so the odds would not be as much in my favor as they would be for Mr. Polanski. If I was guilty however I'd probably run too.
I've been away from the list for several months but have things changed so much recently that it is now considered no big deal to drug someone of any age or gender and then rape them? Shane, non-consensual sex is rape and drugging someone makes it non-consensual. A rape victims testimony is worth more than you imagine. Most of us apparently don't believe that such testimony is nothing but a state coached session designed to attack rich white artists in the prime of their lives but perhaps you know more than most of us do about such things.
John Thornton Hi shag, I really enjoyed your posts on the David Healy stuff.