Polanski Lawyer Asks for Director to Be Sentenced from Afar

Roman Polanski's lawyer asked a Los Angeles judge on Wednesday to sentence the director regarding his decades old sex case while he is in Switzerland, rather than requiring him to return to the U.S. to be sentenced.

According to the Associated Press, the judge said during a status hearing that he will consider the request only if lawyers file documents explaining why the sentencing from afar would be appropriate. He scheduled a hearing based on that request for January 22, the AP reports.

Polanski is currently being held under house arrest in Switzerland pending extradition to the United States regarding a 1970s sex case.