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Although I admire this woman's big heart and merciful nature, I doubt very much if she has really forgotten the nightmare. "This stigma has been attached to her for a lifetime," said her attorney. Yes, I agree. She may have forgiven him, but will she ever forget?

I don't know if it is because I am a woman or the mother of a girl that makes me wonder if the victim will suffer a lifetime of trauma. Imagine a 13-year-old standing before the court and telling everyone she couldn't fight back when he was forcing himself on her because she "was afraid of him".

So, should we really let bygones be bygones? Polanski has been fleeing from justice since 1978 and he is ageing. At the same time, the victim has chosen to forgive him.

A number of Hollywood celebrities, including Martin Scorsese, David Lynch and Woody Allen have been campaigning for Polanski's freedom, citing all sorts of reasons to set the man free. Their stand is that the "past is the past". Okay, if the past is so irrelevant then what is the point of Polanski telling us the story of a Jewish pianist in Poland struggling to survive Nazi occupation?

What did Polanski, who experienced the Holocaust himself, have in his mind when he made "The Pianist"? If he believed that the past is irrelevant, then what was the point of him making "The Pianist" in the first place? What did principle did he choose to adhere to - "let bygones be bygones" or "every action has a consequence" - when he was making a film about the struggles of a Jewish man against Nazi massacre?

For those who sympathise with him, arresting a man at the age of 76 surely makes his life tragic. He has been a fugitive for most of his life, starting from very young when he fled the Nazis after his mother was sent to the gas chambers. Then, more recently, in 1969 his wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered while she was pregnant with his child.

At least this latest blow comes as a consequence of his own actions. Frankly speaking, a man who has been through such tragedy and pain should have been the last person to commit a crime.

Let's forget about his work and his age, and instead turn his story into a film plot: A 40-year-old man - with no trophies, awards or even a job - rapes a young girl and escapes before he is sentenced. If you have to write the script, what kind of arguments would you use to defend this underprivileged guy?

In fact, Hollywood has already produced quite an outstanding film on this subject. "The Accused", an Oscar winner, has set an unprecedented standard for justice in which not only rapists but also cheerleaders who get raped are proven guilty.

Perhaps the opening remark of the case in "The Accused" could be read out to all of Polanski's supporters, especially the Hollywood directors: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Paulson [the perpetrators' attorney] has told you the testimony of Sarah Tobias [played by Judi Foster] is nothing. Sarah Tobias was raped but that is nothing. She was cut, bruised and terrorised but that is nothing. All of this happened in front of a howling crowd and that is nothing. Well, it may be nothing to Mr Paulson, but it is not nothing to Sarah Tobias and I don't believe it's nothing to you."

Rape is a crime and torture and it leaves no room for excuses. It has nothing to do with the perpetrator's work, awards, money or social status.

If looked at from another perspective, Polanski has "figuratively" paid for his sins because he has spent his life as a fugitive since 1978 - a second penalty after having to hide from the Nazis when he was a young boy. His crime has deprived him of his freedom of movement, because he cannot travel to several countries including the United Kingdom. Work has been even more difficult for him in an era when directors have to travel around the globe to raise funds and meet their fans.

In a way, he has been knowingly or unknowingly paying a high price.

Interestingly, the only thing in his story that remains unfinished is the last chapter - when he stands before the court and faces the consequences of his crime. Like many Hollywood celebrity cases, Polanski has supporters as well as detractors. He has entertained us en masse and made a lot of artistic contributions, yet he raped a girl and ran away from facing the law.

Interestingly, the Polanski affair leaves us with two interesting choices for a perfect ending: either his supporters succeed in blocking his extradition to the US or they fail and he ends up having to stand trial in the United States. Either way, I don't see Polanski as a leading man, because it's the "society" and its conscience that is on trial at the moment.