Polanski's Wife Defends Her 'Marvellous' Husband

23 January 2010

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Roman Polanski's actress wife Emmanuelle Seigner has defended the embattled director as he fights to avoid extradition to the U.S. on child sex charges.

The Oscar-winner pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, but fled the States before his sentence could be passed.

He was arrested in Zurich last year (09) and is currently under house arrest in Switzerland, waiting to discover if he'll be sent back to the U.S. to face sentencing or handed his punishment by an American court in his absence.

In a new interview with Elle magazine, the filmmaker's actress wife describes the pressure the case is putting on her family, likening it to "falling into a well... and this long fall won't stop".

She also offers herself as a character witness for the 76 year old - the father of her eleven-year-old son - describing him as a marvellous man

Seigner concedes she "understands perfectly" why many are horrified by the crime Polanski confessed to committing - but insists sex and drugs were viewed differently in the 1970s, when the offence took place.

She also offers herself as a character witness for the 76 year old - the father of her eleven-year-old son - describing him as a "marvellous man".

Meanwhile prosecutors in Roman Polanski's child-sex case filed documents on Thursday (21Jan09) to deny allegations they failed to let the victim know they planned on having the director extradited to the U.S. for sentencing.

Polanski's defence claimed that the Los Angeles County district attorney's office had broken L.A. state laws by not telling Samantha Geimer they wanted to bring him back to face a state judge.

On Thursday, the prosecution team insisted they tried to organise meetings with Geimer through her lawyer but an arrangement could not be made.

Geimer - who Polanski pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with when she was 13 years old - has joined his defence's pleas for the Rosemary's Baby auteur to be sentenced in absentia.

That would mean a judge could rule on his sentence while he remains in Switzerland, where he is currently on house arrest. Geimer has also called for the filmmaker to be sentenced to time already served and be freed.

After pleading guilty to unlawful sex with Geimer in the U.S. in 1978, Polanski fled to Europe, where he remained until his arrest in Switzerland last year (09).

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