Court says no new trial for Anand Jon, upholds conviction

High profile India-born fashion designer Anand Jon, convicted for sexually assaulting upcoming models lost his appeal for a fresh trial in his case after a court here dismissed the request sought on grounds that a juror had improperly contacted his sister.

The lawyers for Jon had requested for a new trial citing the misconduct but the Los Angeles County judge ruled that the juror's contact with the defendant's sister before the verdict did not prevent the designer from getting a fair trial.

Defense lawyers alleged that Juror Alvin Dymally twice reached out to Jon's sister Sanjana near the end of the trial, possibly seeking a date, and then voted for a conviction after she refused to meet him alone, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Jon, 35, was convicted on 16 counts of rape and other charges last year after allegations that he lured aspiring models to Los Angeles and sexually assaulted them.

After the judge's ruling, prosecutors immediately filed a sentencing memorandum in which they asked that Jon be imprisoned for the maximum possible under the law -- three terms of 53 years and six months to life, AP said.

A tearful Sanjana told reporters outside the court: "It's a travesty of justice... I believed in the justice system. I did not go meet him alone. If I had, this wouldn't be happening today," she was quoted as saying by the LA Times.