Bailed Polanski to stay under house arrest for £2.7m

Roman Polanski was granted $4.5m (£2.7m) bail yesterday, clearing the way for the film director to move within days from a Swiss jail to house arrest and electronic monitoring at his chalet in an Alpine resort.

The Swiss Justice Minister said she would not appeal against the surprise decision by the Swiss Criminal Court. Mr Polanski would have to stay in Switzerland while authorities assess whether to extradite him to the US for having sex in Los Angeles in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

"The 76-year-old appellant is married and the father of two minors," the court said as it considered Mr Polanski's offer of a cash bail secured by his apartment in Paris.

"We can assume he will give more importance to the financial security of his family than a younger person."

Mr Polanski was arrested in September as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award at a film festival.