Porn actor Ron Jeremy found mentally incompetent to stand trial for rape

The charges included 12 counts of violent rape, seven counts of violent oral copulation, six counts of sexual assault

LOS ANGELES:

Porn star Ron Jeremy has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial in Los Angeles over rape and other sexual allegations involving 21 women, the City News Service reported on Tuesday.

Jeremy, 69, pleaded not guilty to more than 30 counts of sexual assault, including 12 rapes, in the Los Angeles area over a 23-year period in August 2021. He has been in prison since his arrest in June 2020.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald S Harris said in a hearing that he had determined, based on reports from the prosecution and Jeremy’s defense, that the actor was suffering from “an incurable neurocognitive decline,” according to the Associated Press.

Attorney Stuart Goldfarb, representing Jeremy, told the court in March 2022 that his client could not recognize him when he visited him in a holding cell before a court hearing. Goldfarb and a representative from the Los Angeles Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment Tuesday.

A hearing on whether to transfer Jeremy to a state hospital will be held next month, the Associated Press said. Jeremy was one of the biggest names in the adult film industry, appearing in more than 2,000 films starting in the 1970s. In August 2020, Jeremy tweeted, “Can’t wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you everyone for all the support.”

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.

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