Harvey Weinstein could face life in prison after being charged with sexually assaulting a third woman.

The 66-year-old disgraced Hollywood producer has been charged with a "forcible sexual act against a third woman in 2006", Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr said.

There are also "two counts of predatory sexual assault, a Class A-II felony which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment".

Mr Vance said Weinstein had been indicted on "some of the most serious sexual offences that exist under New York's penal law".

The indictment was the result of "extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward", he added.


Image: Harvey Weinstein and attorney Benjamin Brafman leaving court last month

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault, and denies all allegations of non-consensual sex.

More than 70 women have accused him of sexual misconduct - those accusations leading to the rise of the Me Too movement.

That in turn has led to hundreds of women publicly accusing powerful men in business, government and entertainment of sexual harassment and abuse.

The once powerful Hollywood insider was fired from the board of the Weinstein Company, which filed for bankruptcy in March.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has expelled him.

Image: Weinstein at New York County Criminal Court in May

"Our investigation continues," Mr Vance said.

"If you are a survivor of the predatory abuse with which Mr Weinstein is charged, there is still time to pursue justice."

Weinstein's lawyer Ben Brafman said in a statement: "Mr Weinstein will enter a plea of Not Guilty to the new charges.

"Mr Weinstein maintains that all of these allegations are false and he expects to be fully vindicated.

"Furthermore to charge Mr Weinstein as a Predator when the interactions were each consensual is simply not justified."