NOTE: This article contains disturbing and sexually explicit language. Please read at your own discretion
Former teen model Brittney Lewis has accused magician David Copperfield of drugging and sexually assaulting her when she was 17 years old. The incident allegedly took place 30 years ago, in 1988 at a modelling competition in Japan, reports The Wrap.
Copperfield was a judge at the Look of the Year modelling contest in Atami, Japan, and after it was over, Lewis alleges, he invited her to one of his California shows.
Lewis, who lived in Utah at the time, said that Copperfield got permission from her grandmother to go to the show, provided that Lewis would be accompanied at all times and would be staying in a separate hotel room.
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Copperfield was 32 years old at the time of the alleged visit, and Lewis said that once she arrived in California the pair went shopping and the magician tried to hold her hand. She claims she refused his motions and made it clear to him that she wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship.
She watched his show that night and says she was at the bar with Copperfield when he poured something into her drink. When she inquired what it was, he said he was “just sharing.”
Lewis admitted that the rest of the night was a total blur, but she has vague recollections of Copperfield kissing her, lying on top of her and taking off her clothes.
“He was kissing my face and then I remember him starting to go down on my body with his face,” she said. “And then, as soon as he started going down, I just completely blacked out.”
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She said that the next morning, he reassured her that nothing happened because she “was underage.”
“He said ‘I didn’t enter you,'” she said, adding that he made her write a letter immediately “saying she was OK.”
Lewis said that her therapist later told her that he made her write that letter as a sort of contract, to keep her quiet.
On Wednesday, Copperfield, now 61, posted a dichotomous statement to Twitter, supporting the #MeToo movement but also cautioning against “a rush to judgement” for those accused. Copperfield spends the majority of the post addressing a previous sexual assault claim against him.
“Imagine what it’s like, believing in the movement, and having also been falsely accused publicly in the past,” he wrote. “To have your life and your family’s life turned upside down.”
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Former beauty queen Lacey Carroll’s accusations against Copperfield, which involved sexual assault on the part of the magician, never led to charges and the case was dismissed. As of this writing, Copperfield has not directly spoken about Lewis’ allegations.
None of these accusations have been proven in court, and Copperfield hasn’t been charged with any crime.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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