American porn star Ron Jeremy has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial for a string of rape and sexual assault charges involving 21 women, US officials have said.
Jeremy, 69, is accused of more than 30 counts of sexual assault, including 12 of rape, in the Los Angeles area over a 23-year period. He has been in prison since his arrest in June 2020.
He pleaded not guilty in August 2021.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Harris said in a hearing that he had determined, based on reports from prosecutors and Jeremy’s defense, that the actor suffered from “incurable neurocognitive decline,” according to the Associated Press.
Attorney Stuart Goldfarb, who represents Jeremy, had told the court in March 2022 that his client had been unable to recognise him when he visited him in a holding cell before a court hearing.
A hearing on whether to place Jeremy in a state hospital will be held on February 7, the district attorney’s office said.
Jeremy was among the biggest names in the adult film industry, appearing in more than 2,000 movies starting in the 1970s.
In August 2020, Jeremy wrote on Twitter: “I can’t wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you to everyone for all the support.”
The counts against Jeremy included 12 of forcible rape, seven of forcible oral copulation, six of sexual battery, and two of penetration while the victim was asleep or unconscious, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The alleged offenses took place at night clubs and bars in the Los Angeles area, during a photo shoot, and at Jeremy’s home, the District Attorney’s office said.
Prosecutors said Jeremy, whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, raped a 25-year-old woman at a home in West Hollywood in May 2014.
They also alleged he sexually assaulted two women, aged 33 and 46, on separate occasions at a West Hollywood bar in 2017, and forcibly raped one of them.
In another alleged incident, prosecutors said Jeremy raped a 30-year-old woman at the same bar in July 2019, Los Angeles County district attorney said.
