This image of Harvey Weinstein being arrested has gone viral for an important reason

On Friday, Harvey Weinstein was charged with rape and sexual assault in a New York courtroom, eight months after allegations about him came out in the press.

The disgraced Hollywood producer handed himself over to police at the First Police Precinct in TriBeCa where lead prosecutor Joan Illuzzi read the charges against him.

The 66-year-old was charged with first- rape and third-degree rape in one case and first-degree criminal sex act in another.

The details of his victims have not been made public, but numerous high-profile women in Hollywood have accused him of assault including Rose McGowan, Asia Argento, Kate Beckinsale and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The fallout from the allegations against Weinstein inspired movements such as #MeToo and Time's Up and also helped unearth other men who sexually assaulted women in various industries.

The news will be seen as a huge and overdue victory against Weinstein and his crimes - and although the charges are a huge talking point, there was one image that captured the moment perfectly.

The picture of a female detective, Sgt. Keri Thompson, escorting Weinstein out of the courtroom in handcuffs has been retweeted from New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor's account more than 4,000 times at the time of writing and liked more than 20,000.

Kantor along with Megan Twohey was the journalist that first broke the story about Weinstein in October last year for the NY Times.

The responses to the image are hailing as both a proud moment for women and beautiful justification against male entitlement.

Rose McGowan and Asia Argento, two of the most prominent and consistent voices to speak out against Weinstein also shared their reaction to his arrest.

The irony that Weinstein's arrest also took place in Tribeca, home of the Tribeca Film Festival a prominent fate on the film calendar, where Weinstein would have conducted a large part of his work, did not escape Kantor.

Weinstein was charged for assault on two offences, which if found guilty could face up to a 25-year penalty.

However, more than 75 women have accused him of wrongdoings and investigations are currently being conducted against him in both London and California.

Weinstein was released on a $1-million (£750,000) bail and will be monitored electronically. He is also banned from travelling outside of New York and Connecticut.

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