Los Angeles court will decide whether fashion designer to be convicted or sentenced
Convicted Indian fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander, who was found guilty on November 13 of forcible rape and 15 other sexual crimes, may get a new trial. But his fate on having a re trial or being sentenced will be decided at the Los Angeles court today.u00a0 Jon who was found guilty was supposed to be sentenced on January 13. But on Jan 13 the proceedings were delayed. Judge David S. Wesley met with deputy district attorneys Mara Mcllvain and Frances Young together with Jon's defense attorneys Donald Marks, Anthony Brooklier and Leonard Levin.
When the parties returned to the courtroom after a lengthy meeting in his chambers, Wesley announced that Jonufffd's attorneys had filed a motion for Jon to receive a new trial and ordered that 'further investigation' immediately commence before he makes a ruling.
Wesley ordered the prosecution and the defense to reconvene in his courtroom on Jan 28 for a case conference to hear the progress to date on that investigation.
If Jon faces a retrial, the defense would have to again fight with fresh and new facts to defend Jon, while the prosecution would have to prove them wrong. But if Jon is sentence, he will be sentenced of life in prison, with a 67-year wait before becoming eligible for parole.
Mother finds ray of hope
Fashion designer Anand Jon's mother Sashi Abraham who was in Mumbai have found a ray of hope as there is a chance ofu00a0 her son to undergo another trial after he was found guilty of 16 counts of sexual assualts against seven women in November at Los Angeles court.
Sashi Abraham, told MiD-DAY, 'I met Jon for the last time during Christmas, after he was convicted. We always believed in the God and I knew my son is a vitim of racism. One girl for whom Jon has been convincted of rape willingle went to meet him at his place. Also there was no rape on her, which has been prroved in the medical reports too.'
She added, 'On the sexual counts that he has been convincted, is just touch the laps of a girl and that too posing for a picture. All these was on the will of the girls.'
On the re trial being considered, Abraham said that there was a gag oreder on them to speak on this issue. But she was happy for this and seek justice.u00a0u00a0
Anand Jon has a pannel of lawyers. One of his lawyers, Majeed Memon fighting for Jon said, 'On the day of judgement, the judge had taken a u turn. This also leads the suspicion in regard to the fairness of trail. The learned judges have suggested reinvestigation/retrial.'
He added, 'This would mean again quite some time to come to conclusion and hence the change in the scenario. Also a fresh bail motion is also expected to be filed so that Anand does remain in jail for further longer period. There is no evidence in the case due to absence of any physical relation and prol6onged delay in filing the complaint.'
Jon was originally arrested and jailed in March 2007, after few models came forward to police with the accusations of him raping and sexually assaulting them. The prosecution had initially charged him with assault of 20 women with 59 counts. Later the charges were dropped to 16 counts with assault on seven women.
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