Polanski faces new accusation of sexual abuse

A British actress has claimed that fugitive film director Roman Polanski sexually abused her "in the worst possible way'' when she was 16-years-old.

Charlotte Lewis, 42, who appeared in Polanski's 1986 film "Pirates,'' said the director sexually abused her at his Paris apartment in 1982, four years after he fled the United States before he could be sentenced for having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles.

"I am also a victim of Roman Polanski,'' she said. "He sexually abused me in the worst possible way when I was just 16-years-old, four years after he fled the United States to avoid sentencing for his crime."

In a brief statement from Polanski's US legal team, his lawyers did not directly address the new allegations.

Lewis said she travelled to the United States at her own expense "to make sure that justice is finally done and that Mr Polanski gets what he deserves."

She said the director knew she was only 16-years-old when he forced himself on her in his apartment in Paris.