Danny Masterson officially files to appeal rape conviction

nypost.com:

sentenced to serve 30 years in prison on Sept. 7. According to the Blast, the actor and Scientologist filed to appeal his conviction.Masterson had been charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in three separate incidents that took place between 2001 and 2003.

He pleaded not guilty to all three charges in January 2021. All three accusers took the stand in May 2021 to detail their allegations in a preliminary hearing.Before he was sentenced, two of the women gave victim impact statements to the judge, where they called him, “Pathetic, disturbed, and completely violent,” and added, “The world is better off with you in prison.”The third alleged victim told the court that she “knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with,” adding, “I am so sorry, and I’m so upset.

I wish I’d reported him sooner to the police.”Following Masterson’s conviction, his former co-stars, Ashton Kutcher, 45, and his wife, Mila Kunis, 40, landed in hot water after writing letters supporting him. “As a friend, Danny has been nothing but a positive influence on me,” Kutcher wrote in a letter obtained by The Post.“He’s an extraordinarily honest and intentional human being.

Any time that we were to meet someone or interact with someone who was on drugs, or did drugs, he made it clear that that wouldn’t be a good person to be friends with,” Kutcher stated.“While I’m aware that the judgement has been cast as guilty on two counts of rape by force and the victims have a great desire for justice, I hope that my testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing,” Kutcher went on.