Swiss let Roman Polanski go free

Although he was convicted of the rape of a minor in 1977 there has long been speculation about Mr Polanski’s sentencing. Laurence J Rittenband, the now deceased judge who heard the case, had privately agreed with lawyers to a sentence of a 90-day psychiatric study.

However, Judge Rittenband later decided against this and increased Mr Polanski’s sentence. It was at this moment, in 1978, that Mr Polanski fled to France.

After the director's Swiss arrest many supporters, such as Woody Allen and British director Stephen Frears publicly spoke out and signed a petition against the US sentencing and call for extradition.