#MeToo still working out in France > French modelling scout grooming girls for Epstein

 

Former model accuses French scout of grooming her for Epstein

France

Former French model Juliette G said Daniel Siad, a French modelling scout with close ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, had groomed her with the aim of introducing her to potential abusers. Juliette, who has asked to withhold her surname to protect her privacy, is one of two ex-models to have accused Siad of grooming. 

Former French model Juliette G. says it took her years to make sense of how she ended up in a New York bedroom with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The 43-year-old is one of two ex-models who have accused Daniel Siad, a French modelling scout with close ties to the late US financier, of having groomed them with the aim of introducing them to potential abusers.

Their stories come as part of a wider reckoning with rape and sexual assault in the wake of the global MeToo movement in recent years that has seen a number of accusations in France and beyond.

"I identified quite a few stages that led me there," Juliette told AFP.

"These men, through manipulation, conduct tests to see how far a young woman will give in."

For Juliette, who has asked to withhold her surname to protect her privacy, it all started in 2004, when she was 21.

Siad – who denies the accusations against him – approached her in a Paris avenue. She calls this the "targeting" stage.

He asked her if she was a model and if she would be interested in "professional opportunities" in the United States.

"I think he was trying to gauge whether I would accept without asking too many questions. Which I did – I let things stay vague so I wouldn't come across as difficult," she said.

She was soon sent a plane ticket to New York and an address in the city. She had no other information, but she felt reassured when her modelling agency said they knew Siad.

In New York, she headed to an address on Madison Avenue, where she briefly met Epstein, whose name Siad had not mentioned until then.

The financier would be convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.

'In his debt'

Epstein asked for her passport.

This, she explained, was the second stage of her grooming – "hostage taking". Without her passport, she could not leave.

Epstein then announced he did not have time to see her that day, but gave her $120 and said she could use his limousine to go shopping.

Jeffrey Epstein died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors © Martin BUREAU / AFP

This, she said, was the third step. Now, despite never having asked for money, she was "in his debt".

"I was ashamed for a long time. Years later, I even thought about paying him back," she added.

The following day, she returned to the Madison Avenue building, hoping for a professional interview.

Instead, he showed her around the premises, walking through a gym decorated with "photos zooming in on women's intimate body parts".

"Was it a subtle test of tolerance?" she said. "To see whether I would leave or accept being in such a surprising environment?"

Then he led her to a bedroom.

"My internal alarm went off," she said.

"I felt the need to say, 'I'm warning you, I'm not going to do anything.'"

Read moreFrench prosecutors probe late Harrods owner Al-Fayed, brother over alleged sex trafficking

She said he told her not to worry, but that he needed to see her body – including her breasts – to be able to recommend her to modelling agencies.

"I hesitated, but I'd just spent seven hours on a plane and they'd paid for my ticket ... I did it," she said.

'Get back into shape'

Epstein groped her, she said, then declared her body was not up to standard and she would need three months to "get back into shape".

He said that if she needed money, he could set her up to work as a party "escort".

Juliette pretended to mull the offer, but demanded he give her back her passport. She said he rummaged around in a pile of "some twenty passports" and returned it to her.

Juliette escaped.

Epstein died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors.

But Juliette said she was speaking out to help investigators looking for the convicted offender's accomplices.

Siad, who is under investigation in France, is just one of several French men who have been accused of aiding Epstein to traffic and abuse women.

French authorities in late 2020 arrested modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel after allegations he procured women for the US billionaire. He was found dead in prison in 2022.

And 15 women in March urged France to investigate Gerald Marie, the former European head of Elite, a modelling agency known for managing supermodels Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford.

Among them, former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson has accused Siad of grooming her for Marie.

'You could go so far'

Karlsson, now 56, said Siad approached her in Sweden in 1990. She was 20 years old.

"He was very talented," she said, describing how he would push a person to see how vulnerable they were.

Former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson has accused French model scout Daniel Siad of portraying himself as a 'saviour' © Joel Saget / AFP

"He would attach to their desires, their longings, and portray himself as some kind of saviour," she said, promising he could make them "a very famous model".

"And they were hooked," she said.

Karlsson said she followed Siad to Monaco and then to France, but the modelling jobs he had promised never materialised. Without money, she "became more and more dependent on him".

Karlsson said that one evening, in a pool house near Cannes, Siad raped her.

In the days that followed, she said, he announced he had found her a job with Elite.

Siad, via his lawyer Menya Arab-Tigrine, rejected the accusations. She said she hoped her client was not being made to "bear responsibility, because he is still alive, for the actions of other men who have died".

Karlsson then met Marie in his office to discuss working for Elite.

"Why is he closing the blinds?" she said she thought.

He flattered her.

"You're so beautiful," she said he told her. "You could go so far," she said he added, introducing the idea of her starring in a movie.

Then suddenly "he put his fingers into me", she said.

"It was to remove my power," she added.

Karlsson said she later attended an audition at his home, where she was one among "about ten girls" – most appearing younger and speaking little English or French – to be told to parade braless.

She pretended to accept the job, but flew back to Sweden and never returned.

Marie's lawyer Celine Bekerman denounced what she called "unfounded attacks" against her client.

She said a rape probe against Marie had been dropped in 2023. She accused Karlsson and other plaintiffs of choosing to ignore this and establish "far-fetched links between Gerald Marie and cases he has nothing to do with".

Karlsson said she was speaking up about the grooming and abuse so "we can stop that behaviour and teach young people" how to avoid it.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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The Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > Japanese Prosecutor Accuses Osaka Head Prosecutor of Rape

 

'My boss raped me': Japanese prosecutor's

long fight for justice

Asia / Pacific

Hikari kept quiet for years about her alleged assault by her boss, Osaka's former chief prosecutor. Finally, after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and taking time off work, she filed her case in June 2024.

Very few women in Japan speak out about rape, and Hikari, too, kept quiet for years about her alleged assault by her boss, Osaka's former chief prosecutor.

However, Hikari (not her real name) finally dared to take the step, which came at great cost to her career – she is also a prosecutor – and her personal life. She does not regret it.

"My life has stopped since the assault," Hikari told AFP in an emotional interview.

"My husband was crying the other day, in a voice that I have never heard in my life, punching the wall and saying he cannot take it anymore," she said.

Hikari alleges that Kentaro Kitagawa, then head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office, raped her following an after-work party in 2018.

Kitagawa was not arrested until June 2024, later charged and his name made public.

He told an initial hearing in October that he had "no intention of fighting the case" and apologised for "causing serious and severe harm to the victim".

However, he changed his tune in December when his lawyer told reporters that Kitagawa "did not recognise that (Hikari) was unable to resist ... and believed that she had consented".

Kitagawa, according to one media report, changed his mind after Hikari held a news conference and alleged that the prosecution had leaked information from the investigation.

'A nightmare'

Hikari says she was not used to drinking strong alcohol and lost her memory halfway through the office gathering.

Colleagues told prosecutors that she got into a taxi to go home and that Kitagawa forced himself into the vehicle.

The next thing she knew, she said, she was in Kitagawa's home and was being raped.

"It was like I was having a terrible nightmare," Hikari told AFP. "I couldn't resist because I was terrified that I could be killed."

A general view of the government building housing the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office in Osaka. © Richard A. Brooks, AFP

Hikari said she kept quiet after it happened.

Kitagawa had pleaded with her not to go public, saying that it would be a damaging scandal for the prosecutor's office, she said, and even threatened suicide.

He retired about a year after the incident but Hikari felt he still had influence over some officials and could hurt her career.

"He was a very influential and powerful man, so I was afraid that no one would listen to me if I complained about the assault," she said.

'Safe environment'

The trauma still gnawed away at her.

Finally, after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and taking time off work, she filed her case in 2024.

"In order to live, to get back to a peaceful life with my family, and to get back to my job as a prosecutor, I felt that (Kitagawa) needed to be brought to justice," she said.

"I just want to work in a safe environment ... I want to save victims through work," she said.

A petition submitted in January by Hikari's supporters with nearly 59,000 signatures calling for a thorough investigation into the rape allegations. © Richard A. Brooks, AFP

She returned to work in September, only to find that malicious rumours were circulating.

These included identifying her as the victim – her name had not been made public – and that she had been attracted to Kitagawa, consented to sex and was not drunk.

Hikari believes the rumours were spread by people close to Kitagawa.

She has been on leave ever since.

She said her husband, with whom she has a child, is her biggest supporter but that he "is struggling with how to save me".

Face hidden

Kitagawa's lawyer has not responded to an AFP request for comment sent on June 30.

Hikari hasn't revealed her name and has held news conferences and interviews on the condition that her face won't be shown.

A handful of other victims of similar crimes have gone further. These include journalist Shiori Ito, who won a landmark civil case against a prominent TV reporter she accused of raping her.

In 2021, Rina Gonoi accused fellow soldiers of sexual assault and three of them were later given suspended sentences.

Both women were praised for their bravery in coming forward but also received a barrage of online hate.

The latest government figures show that 8.1 per cent of Japanese women, or one in 12.5, have had non-consensual sex.

Very few women in Japan speak out about rape, and Hikari, too, kept quiet for years about her alleged assault. © Richard A. Brooks, AFP

Just 1.5 percent contacted police and 55.4 percent stayed silent.

However, Seisen University Professor Kaori Okamoto said that now "the idea that it's okay to talk about sexual violence is spreading".

Okamoto, a clinical psychologist who has been helping victims, said the number of people consulting support centres is also increasing.

Even though there is no major #MeToo movement like those in the United States and South Korea, modest-sized rallies against sexual violence sprang up across Japan after several alleged rapists were acquitted in 2019.

Law changes have also helped. The definition of rape was broadened in 2017, while the need for victims to prove violence or intimidation was removed in 2023.

"In the past, many thought that even if you report the assault, you're only going to get hurt and you're not going to catch the culprit," Okamoto said.

Career ladder

Hikari said sexual harassment is "rampant" in the Japanese legal world.

Public records show that 21 people at prosecutors' offices have been disciplined for sexual violence in the past 16 years, she said.

"Officials feel they can do anything as they climb the career ladder," Hikari said.

"The prosecutors have no shareholders, no sponsors and no external pressure," she said.

Her supporters submitted a petition to the government in January calling for a long prison sentence for Kitagawa and strict punishment for the assistant prosecutor.

The petition has more than 68,000 signatures.

"The reason I still continue to speak publicly is because I want to keep saying that the victims are not at fault," Hikari said.

"I don't know your faces, but at least I want to say that I'm by your side."

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Sexual Abuse Lawsuit, Abduction, Suicide > Expensive #MeToo moment for Alberta Fire Dept.; Ontario man abducts bar worker; Incestuous Bellingcat perv suicides in NL

 

Leduc pays over $9.5 million to 155 women in class-action lawsuit settlement

A law firm representing women who sued an Alberta municipality over claims of sexual assault, harassment and discrimination says over $9.5 million has been paid out to 155 women whose claims were approved in a settlement.

Two female firefighters with the Leduc fire department, south of Edmonton, launched the class-action lawsuit in 2022 claiming they were subject to physical and sexual assault, harassment and bullying while on the job.

In a news release late Monday, the law firm of Burnett, Duckworth & Palmer LLP claims the settlement is “one of the highest per person payouts in Canadian legal history for workplace sexual misconduct.”

The class action sought damages for women who had worked at the City of Leduc between 2002 and 2023, and the Court of King’s Bench approved a settlement to provide compensation to the women in 2023.

In January 2024, Leduc’s mayor apologized to the women who worked at the City of Leduc.

In a statement on its website, the municipality says the settlement has provided the means to move forward with what it calls “critical change initiatives,” which it says include psychological health and safety initiatives, mandatory training and workplace investigation training.

“We acknowledge the profound impact that this matter has had. We have learned from this experience and are continuing to move forward in a way that honours our commitment to a respectful and safe environment for all. This remains central to everything we do,” the city’s statement says.

It also notes Leduc residents will not shoulder the cost of the settlement, explaining that legal and claims costs are covered by insurance and the payment “will have no effect on future property taxes.”

“When I started this journey, my goal was simple: to bring the truth to light. Because the truth, above all else, is what brings validation. It’s what gives people peace,” former Leduc firefighter and plaintiff Christa Steele said in the law firm’s news release.

“I am grateful that we set a precedent and made history. We left a mark and I am proud of what we accomplished together.”

The law firm says the claims process for the class-action lawsuit has now concluded.

Its statement says the plaintiffs asked the court’s permission in January to disclose the total number of claimants and the amounts paid out, but it says the City of Leduc opposed the move. At the end of March, it says the court dismissed the city’s request and allowed the numbers to be made public.

It also notes that over the past 18 months, the parties have participated in a process that allows the women who were affected to talk about their experiences with the city’s leadership.

Guelph man charged after allegedly abducting a bar worker

A 43-year-old Guelph man is facing multiple charges after allegedly abducting a bar employee and holding her against her will.

Guelph Police say the victim, an adult woman, came forward Friday to report that she was followed home the previous evening by a man she recognized as a regular customer at her workplace.

According to police, after she was dropped off by a co-worker, the man approached her and convinced her to get into his car to talk. Once inside, he allegedly locked the doors and drove away, ignoring her repeated requests to be let out.

There is no indication that the culprit is a Muslim, except that getting a woman or girl in their car and locking the doors means she is under the culprit's 'power' or control. The Quran says that such girls are completely at the mercy of the man and he may do with her as he wishes.

The man is accused of physically restraining the woman when she tried to open the door to escape, police say.

She eventually managed to get out of the vehicle and flagged down another driver for help.

Police say the suspect continued to contact the woman the next day, calling her approximately 16 times in an attempt to meet and return items she had left in his car.

Shortly before 1 a.m. on Saturday, officers arrested the suspect.

He is charged with kidnapping, forcible confinement, assault and criminal harassment, according to police.

He was held in custody for a bail hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

A 43-year-old Guelph man is facing multiple charges after allegedly abducting a bar employee and holding her against her will.

Guelph Police say the victim, an adult woman, came forward Friday to report that she was followed home the previous evening by a man she recognized as a regular customer at her workplace.

According to police, after she was dropped off by a co-worker, the man approached her and convinced her to get into his car to talk. Once inside, he allegedly locked the doors and drove away, ignoring her repeated requests to be let out.

The man is accused of physically restraining the woman when she tried to open the door to escape, police say.

She eventually managed to get out of the vehicle and flagged down another driver for help.

Police say the suspect continued to contact the woman the next day, calling her approximately 16 times in an attempt to meet and return items she had left in his car.

Shortly before 1 a.m. on Saturday, officers arrested the suspect.

He is charged with kidnapping, forcible confinement, assault and criminal harassment, according to police.

He was held in custody for a bail hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Is this an example of the quality of character of Bellingcat operatives?

Ex-Bellingcat operative killed himself after being exposed as pedophile – media

The former child porn researcher had subjected his daughter to years of sexual abuse

FILE PHOTO. ©  Global Look Press

A child rapist who worked for five years with the Western OSINT agency Bellingcat killed himself shortly before he was due to be imprisoned, recently published Dutch court documents reveal.

The operative, known under the alias Daniel Romein, took his life in 2022 after being sentenced to prison for sexually abusing his own daughter.

So he managed to escape the prison sentence, but, most assuredly, went straight to Hell. 

Romein had been involved in the investigation of the MH17 crash by the Western-funded “open-source intelligence” group, as well as in the Stop Child Abuse initiative, dedicated to geolocating explicit materials involving minors.

The news was first made public by independent Dutch journalist Eric Van De Beek last month, and the surrounding events were further explored in a piece released by The Grayzone last Friday.

Van De Beek said that Romein hadn't died from “cardiac arrest” in December 2022 as previously reported, stating a close friend had confirmed that the ex-Bellingcat operative had taken his own life.

The researcher, who worked for Bellingcat between 2014 and late 2019, was sentenced to 36 months in prison earlier that year for prolonged sexual abuse of his daughter, the journalist claimed, citing an anonymized court case on the matter. The case was released by Dutch authorities only in March of this year after repeated inquiries by independent media, Van De Beek noted.

The case details the way the defendant abused his daughter when she was between six and 10 years old, which involved oral sex, genital rubbing, and other sexualized behavior.

The events, which took place roughly between October 2011 and October 2016, only came to light several years later, when the girl told her mother and stepfather.

The court materials quote a lackluster letter of apology sent by the defendant to his daughter when the scandal became public, in which he appeared to blame her.

The case also revealed that the defendant had been convicted of possession of child pornography “over 15 years” prior.

Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins, when questioned by The Grayzone, denied that Romein’s firing in December 2019 had been related to his criminal past.

Why would he deny that? You would think he would be proud of it.

However, the group’s founder “tacitly acknowledged” that the researcher had been the target of sexual abuse allegations. “It is not clear whether the [court] judgment is about Mr. Romein, as it is anonymized,” he told the outlet in a mailed statement.

In August 2021, Romein was stripped of his European Press Prize, which had been awarded for his work on the Stop Child Abuse project. At the time, the Netherlands-based non-profit cited “unidentified substantiated complaints” from different individuals as the reason for its decision.

When asked by The Grayzone if the complaints were related to sexual abuse, Higgins stated they were due to the researcher’s “unacceptable online behavior.”

Despite advertising itself as an investigative group specializing in fact-checking and open-source intelligence, Bellingcat has received funding from several Western governments.

This has raised questions about its credibility, and Moscow contends that it works closely with Western intelligence services to “put pressure on either [Russia] or individuals and entities.”

It has long been assumed by many that Bellingcat is a CIA organization developed to create propaganda for the press. To create the 'acceptable narrative' for Deep State.

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