The multiple allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has resulted in a spectacular fall from grace. The revelations by female actresses of their encounters with him have caused him to be fired from the company he founded and also his wife announced that she was leaving him. The allegations made against Weinstein range from unwanted advances, inappropriate behaviour and most serious of all, rape. Not a day has gone by without another actress from both sides of the Atlantic describing what a meeting with Weinstein really meant. From Angelina Jolie to Mira Sorvino, all have unpleasant tales to tell. The stories have gotten grubbier day after day.

A powerful man, who has the ability to destroy careers with a phone call or a word to other powerful men, seeks to gain sexual gratification from actresses looking for roles.

Hollywood is a magnet for actors and actresses and its also a target rich environment for sleazy men who are morally bankrupt with voracious sexual appetites. I sometimes wondered why certain actresses are not bigger stars. Mira Sorvino once won an Oscar for her role in The Mighty Aphrodite in the 1990s and then she disappeared. Could it be that she failed to comply with the demands of a grubby man in a position of power?How many actreses careers were ruined because they refused Weinstein's advances?

How was such behaviour allowed to continue for so long? A lot of stars are now claiming to be shocked at Weinstein's conduct. We heard rumours, they all say, but we dismissed them as just that. Personally, I find this hard to believe. I suspect that there was a code of silence, where everyone knew or suspected , and said nothing. If you are a victim of this type of unwarranted attention, there is no advantage in going public, knowing that your career could be destroyed.

There is a political angle to all this.Weinstein was a friend of both Presidents Clinton and Obama. He gave money to the Democratic Party. Malia Obama even interned at his company. He was that close to power. Harvey was seen as one of the "good guys" unlike men like Donald Trump or Roger Ailes, both men have also been accused of unwanted behaviour towards women.

Let's not kid ourselves, for Weinstein to carry out this sort of behaviour, harassing women, threatening them, bullying them and even paying them to stay silent, he needed allies. He needed lawyers and accountants. Legal papers have to be drawn up for Non Disclosure Agreements and cheques have to be written. So he is not alone, others are complicit. It is also important to remind ourselves that he is not unique. There are other directors and producer who behave like this towards women and men. Hopefully, this week will the beginning of a sea change. The Code of Silence should end.