Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison over rape and sexual assault convictions.

Key points: Weinstein had faced the possibility of a maximum sentence of 29 years in prison

Weinstein had faced the possibility of a maximum sentence of 29 years in prison The jury acquitted Weinstein on a single count of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault

The jury acquitted Weinstein on a single count of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault Weinstein said he was confused and believed he had a "serious friendship" with Ms Mann and Ms Haleyi

The sentence was handed down in Manhattan criminal court by Justice James Burke, who presided over Weinstein's trial last month.

A jury on February 24 found Weinstein, 67, guilty of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann.

The jury of seven men and five women acquitted Weinstein on the most serious charges, a single count of first-degree rape as well as two counts of predatory sexual assault, which carried a potential life sentence.

Hours later, Weinstein experienced chest pains and was transferred from New York's Rikers Island jail to Bellevue Hospital for treatment for "ongoing heart problems and chest pain", a representative for Weinstein said in an email.

Weinstein had undergone surgery at Bellevue to clear a heart blockage last week.

Once one of Hollywood's most influential producers, Weinstein had faced the possibility of a total of 29 years in prison.

"I feel remorse for all of the men who are going through this fight," Weinstein told the court before he was sentenced.

He said he was worried about "thousands of men" being denied due process in the #MeToo era.

In a rambling statement, he said he was "confused" and that he believed he had a "serious friendship" with Ms Mann and Ms Haleyi.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Joan Illuzzi asked Judge Burke to impose 25 years for the conviction on a charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree involving Ms Haleyi, and to impose a consecutive sentence for the third-degree rape conviction involving Ms Mann. That charge called for up to four years in prison, but the prosecution made no specific request.

Weinstein said he had worked too hard and put too much pressure on himself.

"I really feel remorse about this situation. I feel it deeply in my heart. … I'm really trying to be a better person," he said.

'It scarred me deeply'

The six women who testified against him were in court for the proceedings.

In an emotional statement in court, Ms Haleyi spoke of the trauma she had endured since the attack, saying, "It scarred me deeply, mentally and emotionally, perhaps irreparably, perhaps forever."

Ms Haleyi testified at the trial that Weinstein invited her to his home in 2006 after she had worked on one of his television productions, backed her into a bedroom, held her down on the bed and forced himself on her orally.

Ms Mann told jurors that Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in March 2013, about a month into what she described as an "extremely degrading" relationship with him that continued for several years after the attack.

Ms Mann called Weinstein a "Jekyll and Hyde" character, charming in public but prone to rage when they were alone.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 34 seconds 34 s Italian model Ambra Gutierrez, who recorded Harvey Weinstein in 2015, says there is still "so much work to do".

Prosecutors in court filings last week said the sentence should reflect not only the crimes of which he was convicted, but a "lifetime of abuse towards others."

More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct stretching back decades, fuelling the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment.

Weinstein's lawyers had urged Judge Burke to impose the minimum possible sentence of five years, asking him to consider Weinstein's charitable activities while saying a longer sentence would likely mean Weinstein would die in prison.

"His life story, his accomplishments, and struggles are simply remarkable and should not be disregarded in total because of the jury's verdict," they said.

Weinstein was a powerful figure in Hollywood and a contributor to Democratic candidates.

He won an Academy Award for producing Shakespeare in Love and was responsible for other acclaimed films including Pulp Fiction, The English Patient and Gangs of New York.

Lawyers argue relationships 'consensual'

Weinstein often appeared impassive while seated at the defence table. ( Reuters: Jane Rosenberg )

Prosecutors portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who had manipulated women with promises of career advancement in Hollywood, coaxing them to hotel rooms or private apartments and then overpowering and violently attacking them.

His lawyers argued during the trial that the six women who testified against him were reframing consensual encounters as assaults out of regret.

Weinstein has also denied the allegations and said that any sex was consensual.

In Friday's filing, prosecutors listed more than a dozen accusations going back to 1978, when they said he sexually assaulted an employee of his Buffalo, New York-based music company in a hotel room.

Court documents unsealed on Monday included an email to Weinstein from his estranged brother, Bob Weinstein, telling him he belonged in hell.

"U deserve a lifetime achievement award," Bob Weinstein wrote in the November 2017 message, "for the sheer savagery and immorality and inhumaneness, for the acts u have perpetrated."

Reuters/AP