Harvey Weinstein, center, arrives to court in New York, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Weinstein is set to appear before a judge as his lawyers try to get the charges dismissed in his criminal case. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK — Prosecutors in New York City abandoned part of their sexual assault case against Harvey Weinstein on Thursday after evidence surfaced that a lead police detective coached a witness to keep quiet when she raised doubts about the veracity of one of the allegations.

Weinstein, 66, looked on as a judge agreed to dismiss the lone charge related to Lucia Evans, who helped spark the #MeToo movement a year ago when she told The New Yorker that the Hollywood mogul had forced her to perform oral sex in 2004 when she was a college student and fledgling actress.

Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, unsuccessfully urged Judge James Burke to deep-six the whole case, telling him: “The integrity of these proceedings has been compromised.”

The bulk of the prosecution case remains intact, with Weinstein still facing five charges over allegations that he raped an unidentified woman in his Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and performed a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. A conviction on the most serious charges could put him in prison for the rest of his life.

Weinstein denies all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

The turn of events, which had been simmering for weeks in closed-door meetings and sealed court documents, enraged Evans’ lawyer, who took to the courthouse steps to blast Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. for walking away from her client. Evans told the truth and never misled investigators, lawyer Carrie Goldberg said.

“Let me be clear: the decision to throw away my client’s sexual assault charges says nothing about Weinstein’s guilt or innocence. Nor does it reflect on Lucia’s consistent allegation that she was sexually assaulted with force by Harvey Weinstein,” Goldberg said outside the courthouse. “It only speaks volumes about the Manhattan DA’s office and its mishandling of my client’s case.”

Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon insisted in court that the rest of the case is strong and said the district attorney’s office was looking into the possibility of bringing additional charges.

“In short, your honor, we are moving full steam ahead,” she said.