Polanski's plea to resolve 40-year-old rape case rejected

London: Oscar winning-filmmaker Roman Polanski has failed to secure assurances from a US court that he will not be put behind bars over a decades-old rape case. Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1977 and fled the US ahead of his sentencing in 1978.

Lawyers for the 83-year-old director said he was willing to return to the US after nearly 40 years on the run if he was assured he would not serve more jail time, reported The Guardian.

A Los Angeles superior court spokesman confirmed, "Judge Gordon has ruled that defendant's motions and corresponding requests are denied." Polanski's travel has been confined to three countries -- France, Switzerland and his native Poland.