Five women who were raped by Jeffrey Epstein years ago told the BBC Newsnight program on Tuesday evening about their experiences with the sex offender.
March 25, 2026, 11:40 a.mMarch 25, 2026, 11:40 a.m
Joanna Harrison, Chauntae Davies, Lisa Phillips, Jena-Lisa Jones and Wendy Pesante speak on the show about incidents on the private island of Little St. James and on his ranch in New Mexico.
Joanna Harrison says Epstein’s assaults still fill her with shame and embarrassment to this day. She actually wanted to remain anonymous and never talk about her experiences. However, her name appeared in the Epstein files, which is why she was forced to go public.
Five rape victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spoke about their experiences on the BBC Newsnight program on Tuesday evening.screenshot bbc
It is difficult to see Epstein on television all the time. “It’s not normal to see your tormentor’s face on TV every day for six years,” says Harrison.
For the woman, like many other victims, it started with a massage. At first everything seemed normal – until he started masturbating. “I completely froze,” said Harrison. At a later date, the sex offender raped her on his birthday.
Joanna Harrison met Epstein when she was 18 in Florida.screenshot bbc
Chauntae Davies, a trained massage therapist, claims she was raped by Epstein on his notorious private island, Little St. James. She had also been hired for massages. However, the majority of the attacks took place on the Zorro Ranch in the US state of New Mexico. There was “a cold, dark, eerie atmosphere” there.
Davies also gave former US President Bill Clinton a neck and back massage during a trip. She never considered telling him about Epstein’s actions. “I never intended to talk to anyone about it,” says Davies.
The victims interviewed in the program express the belief that all influential people around Jeffrey Epstein knew about his actions.
Bill Clinton (r.) denies any allegations.Image: Wikimedia
Clinton has repeatedly said he did not witness Epstein’s abuse. However, his name appears hundreds of times in the Epstein files. Appearing in documents related to Epstein does not necessarily mean he can be proven to have committed wrongdoing.
Lisa Phillips, who was working as a model at the time, tells the story of a friend who wanted to remain anonymous. Epstein allegedly instructed her to have sex with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Phillips then asked Epstein why he did that. He grinned and replied: “I like having things in my hands about people.”
Allegations against ex-Prince Andrew
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of abuse of power. The investigation centers on allegations that, as a British trade envoy, he passed on confidential and sensitive information to Epstein.
Image: REUTERS
Of Epstein’s abuse, Phillips says:
“He liked the fear in our eyes. I think he liked that we were paralyzed and scared and didn’t know what to do, and I think that excited him.”
The survivors interviewed also do not believe that Epstein killed himself. “We knew him, we knew what kind of person he was,” says Phillips. Epstein was found dead in his prison cell on August 10, 2019. The New York medical examiner ruled it a suicide. (hkl)
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