A prosecutor told jurors Monday that the stories of the women who will testify that sexually assaulted them tell uncannily similar stories of themselves as young aspiring women who were cornered in hotel rooms by a man who at the time was the definition of Hollywood power.

B次元官网网址淓ach of these women came forward independent of each other, and none of them knew one another,B次元官网网址� Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson said during his opening statement at WeinsteinB次元官网网址檚 Los Angeles trial.

Weinstein, Thompson said, lorded his power over them, talking about the female A-list actors whose careers he had made before growing aggressive.

Thompson played a video presentation that showed composite photos of the women, with quotes from prior testimonials displayed. Most were aspiring actors. One was an aspiring screenwriter who thought she was going to pitch a script to B次元官网网址渢he most powerful man in HollywoodB次元官网网址� at the time, Thompson said, referring to Weinstein. One was a masseuse with a famous clientele of actors and athletes, who Weinstein suggested might write a book for his companyB次元官网网址檚 publishing arm before later cornering her in the bathroom.

All will testify that Weinstein ignored clear signs that the women didnB次元官网网址檛 consent, the prosecutor said, including B次元官网网址渢heir shaking bodies, their crying, their backing away from him, their saying B次元官网网址榥o.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� He said he assaulted one woman after she showed him pictures of her children in an attempt to get him to stop.

Weinstein has denied any non-consensual sex and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was brought into court Monday by deputies in a wheelchair, wearing a black suit and blue tie. Before jurors entered, he climbed into a chair at the defense table with his lawyers, and watched the prosecutionB次元官网网址檚 presentation from there.

His lawyer is set to give its opening statement on Monday afternoon.

ItB次元官网网址檚 expected to be followed by testimony from the first of the accusers, an Italian model and actor who says Weinstein raped her at her Los Angeles hotel in 2013.

Confusion arose in the courtroom, however, when Thompson during his opening statement made no mention of one accuser who had been set to testify as recently as last week.

Weinstein was indicted on 11 counts overall, but four of those counts B次元官网网址� including two counts of rape and two of sexual assault B次元官网网址� involved the woman who was not included in the opening.

A message to a district attorneyB次元官网网址檚 spokesman on her status was not immediately returned.

Already for a conviction in New York, the 70-year-old movie mogul now faces a trial in during HollywoodB次元官网网址檚 awards season. The four accusers who will testify in the case are expected to be identified only as Jane Doe. an actor and documentary filmmaker who is married to California Gov. Gavin B次元官网网址om, is among the accusers.

Siebel B次元官网网址om was the first accuser Thompson described in his opening, saying that though she appears to be in a powerful place now, at the time of her assault she was just like the other women Weinstein targeted.

B次元官网网址淪eventeen years ago, when she met the defendant in 2005, she was a powerless actor trying to make her way in Hollywood,B次元官网网址� Thompson said.

In an attempt to head off potential defense strategies, Thompson told jurors they would hear from a psychologist who will dispel rape myths. Key among them is the idea that a sexual assault victim would not have further contact with their assailant.

Many of the accusers had contact, and even initiated dealings, with Weinstein in the years that followed their assault. Siebel B次元官网网址om sent him emails. The masseuse worked for him again. Thompson said the jury will learn thatB次元官网网址檚 not unusual under the circumstances.

Four other women will testify at trial that Weinstein sexually assaulted them, though their accusations did not lead to criminal charges. In his opening presentation and a possible hint to his trial strategy, Thompson paired each of them to one of the other four accusers based on the similarity of their stories.

The Associated Press does not normally name people who say theyB次元官网网址檝e been sexually abused unless theyB次元官网网址檝e agreed to be named publicly, as Siebel B次元官网网址om has through her attorney.

The trial opened two weeks ago with jury selection, about him gave massive momentum to the #MeToo movement.

B次元官网网址擜ndrew Dalton, The Associated Press