‘It’s not normal to see your abuser’s face every day for six years,’ Epstein survivor says
Joanna Harrison lived for years with the shame of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and asked to remain anonymous. But when his name was among millions of documents released as part of the Epstein files, he felt he had to speak out.
She told the BBC: “Seeing your abuser’s face on TV and hearing his name every day for six years is not normal.” news night.
“It gets to a point where you’re suffocating and you need to breathe, and I feel like this is my way of trying to breathe,” she added, explaining why she decided to speak out.
Ms Harrison and four other Epstein survivors were brought together to share their stories of pain and anger and their memories of his private island, Little St James.
She met Epstein in Florida when she was 18 and described how he raped her on her birthday.
Speaking publicly for the first time, she expressed concerns that she and other survivors may not receive justice now that Epstein is dead.
Another survivor, Chauntae Davies, a trained massage therapist, shared footage with the BBC from her trip to Africa with Epstein on his private plane. These included photos of actor Kevin Spacey and former president Bill Clinton participating in a humanitarian trip to prevent AIDS.
He recalled taking a “once-in-a-lifetime trip” to five different countries in five days, but said the experience was “tainted by what goes on behind closed doors.”
She said Epstein raped her on his private island after he was hired to give her a massage. But he said he never considered telling Mr. Clinton, who said he wished Ms. Davies had told him about Epstein’s wrongdoing when she testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee in February.
His presence in the Epstein files is not an indication of a crime, and the former US president has repeatedly said he did not witness Epstein’s abuse. Mr Spacey called for the release of all the Epstein files, saying: “The truth cannot come soon enough for those who have nothing to fear.”
The release of the files by the US Department of Justice brought to light allegations that led the US state of New Mexico to reopen the criminal investigation into Epstein’s Zorro Ranch following an investigation in 2019.
Ms Davies said the farm was “where most of the attacks took place” and described it as “dark” and “spooky”. Another survivor, Lisa Phillips, also said the farm was “spooky.”
Ms Phillips, who was a model when she met Epstein, spoke of her connections with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles’ brother. He said the friend, who wished to remain anonymous, was allegedly instructed to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor in a New York apartment in 2003.
The former prince, who was stripped of his final royal titles last year over his links to the convicted pedophile, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The former Duke of York was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over accusations that he shared confidential information with Epstein while serving as the UK trade envoy.
He remains under police investigation by Thames Valley Police, which is investigating allegations revealed in the Epstein files.
Ms Philips told the BBC she asked Mr Epstein why he made his friend have sex with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor. She claimed that Epstein replied: “I like things to happen to people.”
Survivors Jena Lisa Jones and Wendy Pesante met Epstein when they were 14 years old. Ms Pestante said a 14-year-old should not have a “sex worker mentality”.
