‘It was the first time that a man touched me’: French 10-time skating champ Sarah Abitbol claims she was raped by former coach
French pair Sarah Abitbol (L) and Stephane Bernadis © REUTERS / CGW/ JDP
Renowned French pairs skater Sarah Abitbol, who won multiple international awards together with her partner Stephane Bernadis, has claimed she was raped by a former coach.
In an interview with the newspaper L’Obs, Abitbol, the 2000 world bronze medalist, accused her former coach Gilles Beyer of systematic sexual assault and rape between 1990 and 1992, when she was between the ages of 15 and 17.
“He started doing horrible things… sexual abuse and I was raped when I was 15. It was the first time that a man touched me,” the 44-year-old said.
The seven-time European medalist said that neither her parents nor French figure skating officials had known about the alleged ordeal she had gone through.
Abitbol added that when she decided to come forward with her accusations after her retirement, the Ministry of Sport allegedly snubbed her claims.
L'Obs✔
@lobs
Le courage de Sarah #Abitbol qui a brisé l'omerta en témoignant de ce qu'elle a subi à l'âge de 15 ans. @MarleneSchiappa @RoxaMaracineanu
“Yes, we have a file on him, but we’re going to close our eyes,” Jean-Francois Lamour, who headed the French Sports Ministry, at that time allegedly replied.
Abitbol is not the first to make accusations against Beyer, as a fellow French figure skater claimed to have been sexually abused by him at the end of the 1970s, while she was between 13 and 14 years.
The allegations came just a week after a French tennis coach Andrew Geddes (3rd story on link) was sentenced to 18 years in jail for raping four underage players.
At the end of 2019, an independent investigation initiated by French journalists uncovered multiple sexual crimes in the country’s sport.
According to the investigation more than 276 athletes from 28 different sports, mostly kids under 15 years of age were victims of sexual abuse.
France 24 reports that the accused have rejected the claims against them or not responded to requests for comment.
The French Sports Ministry plans to organize a conference on February 20 to address the issue.
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French figure skating coach Gilles Beyer, who was accused of sexual assault, has admitted to having an ‘intimate relationship’ with Sarah Abitbol, who was underage at the time.
On Thursday, renowned athlete and ten-time French pairs skating champion Abitbol accused Beyer of systematic sexual assault and rape between 1990 and 1992, when she was between the ages of 15 and 17.
“He started doing horrible things… sexual abuse, and I was raped when I was 15. It was the first time that a man touched me,” the seven-time European medalist said.
The 62-year-old coach admitted to having sex with the skater, whom he had trained, though he added that his memory of events differs from the version presented by Abitbol.
“Though my memories of exact circumstances differ from hers, I am aware that, given my duties and her age at the time, these relationships were in any event inappropriate,” Beyer said in response to the accusations brought against him.
Right after the shocking admission Beyer, who was the general manager of the Parisian club Les Français Volants, was dismissed from his position. It remains unknown whether he will face legal action in the wake of the sexual scandal.
French coach accused of rape admits ‘intimate relationship’ with former skater Sarah Abitbol
Gilles Beyer © Global Look Press / Panoramic
On Thursday, renowned athlete and ten-time French pairs skating champion Abitbol accused Beyer of systematic sexual assault and rape between 1990 and 1992, when she was between the ages of 15 and 17.
“He started doing horrible things… sexual abuse, and I was raped when I was 15. It was the first time that a man touched me,” the seven-time European medalist said.
The 62-year-old coach admitted to having sex with the skater, whom he had trained, though he added that his memory of events differs from the version presented by Abitbol.
“Though my memories of exact circumstances differ from hers, I am aware that, given my duties and her age at the time, these relationships were in any event inappropriate,” Beyer said in response to the accusations brought against him.
Right after the shocking admission Beyer, who was the general manager of the Parisian club Les Français Volants, was dismissed from his position. It remains unknown whether he will face legal action in the wake of the sexual scandal.
French champion figure skater accused of sexually abusing 13yo US female athlete
Morgan Cipres © Global Look Press / Panoramic
French pair skater Morgan Cipres has reportedly been under investigation over allegations of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl who was training at the same skating rink in Florida.
The world-renowned athlete Cipres, who was preparing for the 2018 Olympics together with partner Vanessa James, reportedly sent pictures of his penis to the girl, whose identity has not been revealed.
According to USA Today Sport, a coach at the Advent Health Center Ice rink, Vinny Dispenza, had asked the girl and her teammate (another underage girl) to message Cipres asking him to send the photos in exchange for a pizza promised by Dispenza.
The skater sent two revealing photos from his verified Instagram account, an act which is now being investigated by SafeSport, an independent nonprofit organization which battles all forms of abuse in sport.
Cipres’ coaches John Zimmerman and Silvia Fontana were reportedly aware of the incident and tried to keep the girl’s family from reporting the abuse, as it could have negatively affected the skaters’ preparation for the Winter Games, where they finished fifth.
The coaches allegedly tried to convince the female skater that it was her fault for receiving such pictures, because she was a “pretty girl and men have their needs.”
US Figure Skating said that it “does not tolerate misconduct or abuse and encourages anyone who has been abused or suspects abuse to report it to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, local law enforcement or U.S. Figure Skating.”
Cipres and James won the European championship in 2019, becoming the second French pair to win the title since 1932.
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French ice skating boss resigns amid sex abuse scandal
By Sommer Brokaw(UPI) -- Didier Gailhaguet, the head of France's national figure skating for more than 20 years, stepped down Saturday amid pressure to resign over a sexual abuse scandal.
The French Ice Sports Federation boss had been facing pressure to resign from French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu, who asked him to do so Monday after four female skating champions accused three coaches of raping and sexually abusing them as minors in the 1970s through the 1990s.
Gailhaguet, 66, personally hasn't been implicated in the abuse.
He has led the federation since 1998 with a hiatus between 2004 and 2007 after the International Skating Union suspended him over a judging scandal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
"I have taken the wise decision to resign from my post," Gailhaguet said Saturday. "I have taken this decision with composure, with dignity, but without bitterness before this injustice."
And, without humility, repentance, or any concern for the girls.
Champion figure skater Sarah Abitbol, who is now 44, said in an autobiography released last week that her former coach Gilles Beyer raped her when she was between ages 15 and 17.
Beyer admitted to "intimate" and "inappropriate" relations with her, saying he was "sincerely sorry," but Abitbol has rejected his apology and said she wanted accountability for "all those who covered up [the crimes] both in the club and the federation."
Beyer went on to direct France's national skating teams after coaching Abitbol, but his technical adviser contract was terminated in 2001 after France's Sports Ministry probe found "serious acts" against young skaters.
Skating coach Didier Lucine told France info radio that he raised the alarm about Beyer 20 years ago.
Gailhaguet "really made a big mistake, and that was to put Gilles Beyer back on the circuit -- which posed big problems for the victims," Lucine said. "We hope that there have been no other victims, but I fear the worst anyway."
Three other skaters accused Beyer and two other coaches, Jean-Roland Racle and Michel Lotz, of abuse. Racle has denied the accusations and Lotz has not commented.
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Cornerstone Church Pastor John Hagee's Brother Arrested for Child Sexual Abuse
Posted By Sanford Nowlin, KENS5
The brother of San Antonio megachurch pastor John Hagee was arrested Wednesday and charged with indecency with a child by contact and continuous sexual abuse of a child, according to a KENS5 news report.
8 years after she turned 5 would make her 13 when it stopped, roughly, puberty. This is typical of a genuine pedophile; they want nothing to do with a child once they go through puberty.
Citing police records, KENS reports that the victim told a relative, who's not named in arrest records, about the abuse. In the affidavit, investigators said they spoke with the relative, who told them that she informed Jack Hagee's brother about the allegations.
A spokesman for John Hagee, who leads the Cornerstone Church congregation, confirmed to KENS that the pastor is the brother mentioned in the affidavit.
A spokesman for the pastor provided the following statement to KENS:
"He (John Hagee) and his wife have offered and given their full and unconditional support to the victim, including respecting their decision when to go to law enforcement and also speaking to law enforcement on the victim's behalf.”
Is that what the law allows in Texas, or is the pastor required to report child sex abuse, especially for such a young victim.
Fans defend Johnny Depp on Twitter after ex-wife Amber Heard seemingly admits to abuse on tape
FILE PHOTO: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard attending the 2015 Venice Film Festival
© Global Look Press / Hubert Boesl
Fans of movie star Johnny Depp have demanded their idol’s name be cleared, after his ex-wife Amber Heard apparently admitted to hitting and throwing objects at him in a leaked audio tape. Heard has accused Depp of domestic abuse.
In an audio confession leaked to the Daily Mail, Heard admits to hitting Depp with pans, pots and vases. The conversation took place during a therapy session in 2015, as the tinseltown pair attempted to save their tumultuous marriage.
“I'm sorry that I didn't, uh, uh, hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you, it was not punching you. Babe, you're not punched,” Heard tells Depp, attempting to explain a violent outburst the night before.
During the two-hour conversation, Heard - an advocate for women’s rights and domestic violence survivors - tells Depp to “grow the **** up” and “just because I’ve thrown pots and pans does not mean you cannot come and knock on my door.”
Depp recounts at least three physical fights in the preceding months, and tells Heard that if the violence continues, “we have to be apart from one another...so that we don't **** kill each other or **** worse, you know, **** really kill each other or **** break up or whatever.”
After ridiculing Depp for leaving their house when several arguments broke out, Heard tells the ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ actor “I can't promise you I won't get physical again. God I **** sometimes I get so mad I lose it.”
Depp and Heard’s marriage was the stuff of Hollywood cliches. Wedded in 2015, the pair separated a year later, with Heard obtaining a restraining order along with a divorce. Though the pair finalized their split with a joint statement declaring “there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm,” the acrimony continued, with Heard penning a Washington Post op-ed in 2018 detailing her experience as a domestic abuse victim.
Though Depp is not explicitly named in the piece, he has since sued Heard for defamation, with the $50 million case postponed until this August. Both Heard and Depp have filed allegations of each other’s supposed abuse as part of the case, including graphic pictures of cuts, bruises, and in Heard’s case, hair supposedly ripped from her head.
For fans of Depp, the tape vindicated their idol. The hashtag ‘JusticeForJohnnyDepp’ trended on Twitter on Saturday, as supporters lent Depp their sympathy. “I hope those who instantly assumed Johnny Depp was guilty and made public comments to that effect are feeling fairly shit about all this now,” British comedian Jonathan Pie tweeted.
DASH KENNEDY WILLIAMS✔
@Dash
Johnny Depp wasn’t canceled in my book. We all heard the rumors and saw his finger and the pictures from last year and didn’t want to jump to conclusions when all the evidence was to the contrary. But now we have audio to prove what was happening. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp
Jesse Zook Mann🧘🏻♂️✔
@zookmann
I have been in recovery circles of many kinds and stories of men receiving abuse are far too common. Johnny Depp is sadly not an isolated case. No matter your gender you deserve to be safe from abuse be it emotional or physical. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp
Jacklyn Krol✔
@JacklynKrol
I just listened to the two audio files, I’m gobsmacked that a woman would make false claims about ANY kind of abuse. This set us back years and it makes it that much harder to report real assaults and have people believe victims when things like this happen. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp
Jonathan Pie
@JonathanPieNews
I hope those who instantly assumed Johnny Depp was guilty and made public comments to that effect are feeling fairly shit about all this now. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp
Before it was postponed, the defamation trial was due to get underway on Monday. The timing of the audio leak indicates that it was revealed by Depp’s team to sway public opinion ahead of the trial.
Depp’s attorney, Adam Waldman, told the Daily Mail that “these tapes containing Amber Heard's chilling confessions of violence further expose and destroy her abuse hoax.” Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Heard described the leak as “nothing more than the latest misogynistic effort at victim-blaming.”
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Veteran NRL referee Gavin Badger has bravely revealed he's a survivor of child sex abuse
NRL.COMOne of the NRL's most iconic match officials, commonly referred to as simply 'The Badge,' has controlled over 300 first grade matches in his career since his debut in 2004.
Speaking to NRL.com, Badger opened up on how his life has been impacted as a victim of child sex abuse.
The current NRL referee admitted it was a "frightening" moment in his childhood when he feared he'd be killed if he spoke out about the abuse.
"I'm Gavin Badger and I'm a survivor of child sexual abuse," he said.
"As an 11-year-old kid, I was sexually abused by a family friend. It was frightening to even think about speaking up.
"I was told when I was abused, if I did speak up, I would be killed.
"After the abuse happened, I was directed to the cupboard door, and there was a gun in there.
"I didn't know if it was a real gun or what, but they said, 'if you tell anyone, that's what I'll shoot you with," NRL.com.
Badger admitted the abuse put him a difficult path throughout his childhood, when he eventually turned to drugs from a young age.
Gavin Badger eventually opened up to his wife Kasey Badger. GETTY IMAGES
"There was a change in me that I didn't notice, I just thought that was me which also led to at a young age, dabbling with drugs," Badger said. "I was twelve, it was a lot of drugs over a long period. I look back at it now, it was a pretty tough time."
The Badge admitted he battled for years, not knowing how or when to reveal what had happened to him during his upbringing. It wasn't until later into his relationship with wife and fellow NRL official, Kasey Badger, that he eventually decided to share what had happened to him as a child.
"I couldn't find the courage to say out loud that it happened. The fear for me was, are people going to think that I was weak for not talking long ago. The first time I spoke about it was with my wife Casey, I was terrified," he said.
"We had probably been together for four or five years, I just remember saying 'I've got to tell somebody.' I remember once I did, I just felt different."
Earlier this month, Badger revealed he finally found it within himself to publicly announce he's a survivor of child sex abuse in an Instagram post.
He acknowledged he felt different the moment he clicked the send button on his post, as host of supporters came forward with experiences of their own.
"I just hit send, I thought if I didn't hit send, I may never do it," Badger told NRL.com. "When I pressed that, the feeling that I had, it was like something just changed inside of me."
"Good thing was, when I picked up my phone, there was a lot of positive stuff on there, a lot of people being supportive. The biggest thing was, I got some private messages of people saying, 'that's my story to.' That was something I was really proud of."
"I'm a prime example of once it gets out, everything changes," Badger told NRL.com.
Scottish finance head Derek Mackay quits
over texts with teen boy
By Clyde Hughes
Scottish national flags are posted on a statue in George Square in Glasgow, Scotland. The nation's finance minister has resigned over inappropriate communications with a 16-year-old boy, leader Nicola Sturgeon said Thursday. File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
Mackay, 42, befriended the teen online and had sent at least 270 messages to him. The boy's mother called on Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for his dismissal.
"I take full responsibility for my actions," Mackey said upon his resignation Thursday. "I have behaved foolishly and I am truly sorry. I apologize unreservedly to the individual involved and his family.
Sturgeon said she accepted Mackay's resignation, adding that he made a "significant contribution to government," but his behavior in this instance "has failed to meet the standards required."
Mackay, once considered a possible successor to Sturgeon as leader of Scotland, was scheduled to deliver Edinburgh's draft budget Thursday. That will now be given by Deputy Finance Minister Kate Forbes.
Jackson Carlaw, acting leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said Mackay has not gone far enough and should also resign as a member of the Scottish Parliament.
"I'm shocked, and I think everybody will be," Carlaw said. "It's not just a blow to the Scottish government but it's a blow to the reputation of the Scottish Parliament, and to politics in Scotland generally."
According to The Times:
Derek Mackay, 42, was suspended from the SNP today pending an investigation into his conduct after contacting the teenager 270 times, including inviting him to dinner and to a rugby match.
In a five-week period Mr Mackay sent the boy 12 direct messages without response, finally receiving a reply when he invited him to a rugby reception at the Scottish parliament.
Dozens of Canadians included in lawsuit over alleged abuse by NXIVM sex-cult leadership
U.S. suit includes claims against founders of cult and
heiresses of Seagram's liquor empire
Jason Proctor · CBC News
Sarah Edmondson and her husband are among a handful of named plaintiffs.
The lawsuit includes 80 anonymous claimants. (Evan Aagaard/CBC)
Sarah Edmondson is suing the leaders of NXIVM — along with two heiresses of the Seagram's liquor fortune — for emotional and financial harm the actress claims to have suffered as a result of being intimidated and harassed as well as being branded with the initials of group leader Keith Raniere.
Edmondson and her husband are among a handful of named plaintiffs in a lawsuit together with 80 anonymous claimants — including 28 Canadian women and 13 Canadian men.
The lawsuit, filed at the end of January in the Eastern District of New York, claims Rainiere and others created and led a "Ponzi scheme and coercive community" designed to financially and emotionally abuse followers.
The suit claims millionaire sisters Clare and Sara Bronfman served in leadership positions in NXIVM, investing their vast wealth "to fund the operations and obstruct the ability of others to uncover the misconduct."
Raniere convicted of sex trafficking
The nearly 200-page court document provides new details about the extent to which Canadians were allegedly involved in NXIVM (pronounced Nexium) and its offshoots — claiming the group filed reports with Vancouver police to silence opponents.
Raniere was convicted of sex trafficking in New York last summer. The 58-year-old, known as Vanguard to his followers, is awaiting sentencing.
Known as Vanguard to followers, Keith Raniere, seen in a file photo, was the founder and leader of NXIVM.
He was convicted of sex trafficking and is awaiting sentencing. (Cathy Pinsky/Pinsky Studios)
TV actress Allison Mack, best known for her role in the series Smallville, is also named in the suit. She pleaded guilty to racketeering in relation to NXIVM last year and is also awaiting sentencing.
Clare Bronfman admitted to harbouring someone living illegally in the U.S. and committing credit card charges on behalf of Reniere as part of a plea deal. She has yet to be sentenced.
Sara Bronfman has never faced any criminal charges.
At its height, NXIVM had thousands of members in New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
Edmondson, who belonged to the organization for 12 years, was a co-founder of the Vancouver chapter.
But she was also the first to go public about her recruitment and initiation into a secretive inner circle of female members described by prosecutors as "slaves" to Raniere.
'Collateral' included nude photos
As part of their initiation, the members of the group — known as DOS — gave secrets that could be used as damaging collateral should they fail to comply. Some were also branded in the pubic region with a symbol that appeared to be Raniere's initials.
In the lawsuit, Edmondson claims the defendants provided an edited video of her being branded that was aired in Mexico during the criminal trial, triggering panic attacks, psychological breakdowns and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Edmondson shows the scar she says was left after she participated in a NXIVM branding ceremony. She is now suing the group's leadership. (Supplied by Sarah Edmondson)
Another Canadian actress — known as Jane Doe 8 — claims she was recruited into DOS by the Battlestar Galactica actress Nicki Clyne, who is also orginally from B.C.
According to the lawsuit, Clyne, who was married to Mack, now lives in Brooklyn.
Jane Doe 8 claims she was told to provide nude photographs and ordered to "provide additional collateral in the form of letters describing a false sexual attack by an actor."
Two other Canadian women — Jane Does 9 and 10 — also claim they were recruited into DOS.
Both claim they were told to provide collateral and each ultimately left the NXIVM community, remaining silent for fear of being sued or having their embarrassing secrets released.
'Human fright experiments'
The lawsuit also describes "human fright experiments" allegedly conducted on NXIVM followers.
One Canadian woman — Jane Doe 19 — claims she was asked to participate in a study in which she was connected to electrodes and shown "a video depicting the actual dismemberment of five women and movie scenes showing a gang rape and a racially motivated murder."
"Following the study, she was unable to sleep for 12 days," the lawsuit reads.
Former actress Allison Mack leaves Brooklyn federal court in New York after pleading guilty to racketeering. She is one of several NXIVM leaders named in the U.S. lawsuit. (Mark Lennihan/The Associated Press)
She claims the VPD closed the investigation after learning the affected clients had left NXIVM.
According to the lawsuit, another Canadian woman — Jane Doe 28 — was selected to lead One Asian, a group for women of "East Asian heritage" tailored to produce "perfect humans" secretly considered by Raniere as "potentially suitable sexual partners."
Jane Doe 28 claims she was frequently summoned to NXIVM headquarters in Albany, N.Y., to wait for Raniere, who "would greet her with kisses on the lips and would try to hold her hand during business meetings."
Clare and Sara Bronfman
The U.S. lawsuit does not detail the involvement of the Canadian male plaintiffs, beyond saying that they were allegedly emotionally and financially harmed by NXIVM.
But the court documents provide a general overview of a program called the Society of Protectors, founded by Raniere, that promoted men and masculinity.
Members called Raniere "Big Dog" and the men's group was allegedly framed as "NXIVM's equivalent to joining the military" complete with "doing penances, disciplines and readiness drills that would build character."
None of the defendants have filed responses to the lawsuit.
Lawyers for Sara and Clare Bronfman did not respond to emailed questions.
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