16 women accuse
Did David Copperfield force minors to have sex?
It's about minors, drugs and sexual abuse: as the British newspaper "Guardian" reports, 16 women are making serious allegations against star magician David Copperfield. And the allegations span more than three decades.
16 women have made serious allegations against David Copperfield. The incidents, which range from indecent touching on stage to sexual abuse, are said to have taken place between the late 1980s and 2014, according to the British newspaper. Around half of the women stated that they were still minors, and one is said to have been as young as 15.
Serious allegations against star magician
In the exposé published on Wednesday, three women claim that the now 67-year-old star magician drugged them and forced them to have sex. They were completely unable to defend themselves or say no due to the drugs.
They had met Copperfield during one of his live shows - the magician fascinated his audience in more than 600 performances around the world - explained the women, many of whom wish to remain anonymous.
Copperfield, who was in a relationship with top model Claudia Schiffer from 1993 to 1999, is also said to have promised several women careers as models or in showbiz.
Groped on stage
Three of the women also claimed to have been groped by the illusionist on stage. One woman was only 15 at the time, she said. Copperfield nevertheless grabbed her breasts with a rope during a trick. "I was kind of absent and frozen. It felt really disgusting and embarrassing," she said. Copperfield had also forced a woman to pinch his bottom during one of his live performances.
Copperfield's lawyers, however, denied that the rope trick had involved "unlawful touching" and claimed it had been carried out "without any complaint".
Forced to have sex under drugs?
Brittney Lewis made her allegation against Copperfield publicly back in 2018. She has now spoken out again about the abuse by the star magician. He had drugged and sexually abused her as a 17-year-old model in 1988.
According to the Guardian, it has spoken to another woman who has made similar allegations but does not wish to be named. This woman stated that Copperfield had drugged her and a friend and then performed sexual acts on both women. "I would never tell anyone this unless I truly believed I was drugged at the time," she said.
Copperfield's lawyers rejected these specific allegations as false. The lawyers also pointed out that none of the women had pressed charges at the time.
Gifts sent
One woman, who is quoted in the Guardian report under a pseudonym, explained that she had met the magician for the first time after one of his shows. She was 15 years old at the time. He later called her late at night and sent her presents. At the age of 18, she then had consensual sex with Copperfield.
Copperfield's lawyers stated that their client had had a legally permissible and consensual relationship with the woman for four years. Copperfield "strongly denies any suggestion of grooming or other inappropriate behavior". All allegations are "false and completely unfounded", the star magician said. He had "never behaved inappropriately towards anyone, let alone minors".
"Anyone who knows David Copperfield will tell you that these latest allegations are the exact opposite of what David stands for and what he works hard for," explained one of his lawyers. He added: "Most of these allegations have been made before and all are as false now as they were then."
The Guardian investigated the accounts of the 16 women as part of a series based on interviews with more than 100 people, as well as court and police records. Shortly after the newspaper confronted Copperfield with the allegations, two women who had agreed that their real names could be used demanded that their claims be removed from the story.
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