Football agent Jonathan Barnett accused of trafficking, torture and rape
In a civil complaint filed in a California district court it is alleged that Barnett 'trafficked' the woman from Australia to the UK in 2017, 'tortured' her for six years by keeping her as a 'sex slave' and sexually assaulted her, including by rape, more than 39 times, as well as making 'repeated threats to her life and the lives of her minor children'.
Barnett's former employer, the Hollywood talent group Creative Artists Agency, faces allegations in the same complaint that it 'used its employees and emissaries to assist Barnett in keeping' the complainant as his 'sex slave'.
Barnett and CAA deny all the allegations. 'The claims made in [the] complaint against me have no basis in reality and are untrue,' Barnett said in a statement through his lawyers. 'We will vigorously defend this lawsuit through the appropriate legal process. I am looking forward to being entirely vindicated and exonerated.'
Barnett was a leading sports agent for more than four decades before he retired last year. The 75-year-old is best known for brokering Gareth Bale's world record £85.3m transfer from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013 but has also represented a host of other top players including Jack Grealish and Ivan Toney.
In the complaint an anonymous woman referred to as Jane Doe alleges that Barnett 'owned her' as a 'sex slave' for six years, subjecting her to alleged violent and abusive behaviour that was covered up by his employers.
'This is a case about institutional abuse at the highest level,' the complaint reads. 'This case is about how one of the world's most powerful men in sports openly kept a sex slave for years, with the assistance of his employees, accountants, emissaries, and family members, and used his money and power to maintain coercive control over her and keep her in fear for her life and the lives of her children.'
The complaint says CAA 'knew or should have known' that he was 'keeping a sex slave'. CAA said it first learned of the allegations in January 2024 and Barnett left the company the following month. The company strongly denies any prior knowledge of the complaints against him.
'While the complaint attempts to connect these allegations to CAA's business, Ms. Doe has never been an employee, consultant, or contractor of CAA, ICM, or Stellar, nor has she ever had any business connection to CAA, ICM, or Stellar,' it said in a statement.
In the complaint Doe says she first met Barnett in the mid-1990s through a friend before reconnecting in 2017 when he sent her a private message on LinkedIn saying 'something to the effect of, 'Nice pic'.' It says they arranged to meet soon after when she was visiting the UK from her home in Australia, and she claims that he urged her to move with her teenage children to London work for him, offering to pay for her accommodation and school fees for her two children.
After moving to London, Doe alleges, Barnett raped her in their first meeting at a central London hotel, telling her that he 'owned' her and would kill her if she reported him. The complaint goes on to detail further alleged abusive behaviour by Barnett, including punishment beatings and tying her up overnight without food or water.
The complaint also alleges that CAA made substantial payments to Doe on several occasions between 2017 and 2023, and used its employees assist Barnett. 'Given that Ms Doe was not a CAA Stellar athlete or sports agent, this conduct should have raised numerous red flags for Defendants to inquire into the nature of these payments and the relationship the company had to the persons they were tasked with assisting,' it says.
Barnett formed the Stellar Group in 1992, with the former West Indies cricketer Brian Lara among its first clients, before selling it to the Hollywood talent agency ICM Partners in 2020. ICM was later swallowed by its larger rival CAA, in a deal completed in 2022 that brought together two of the world's biggest agencies.
Barnett and CAA have 20 days to respond to the allegations by filing to the court.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Woman ‘locked in car during attempted sex attack' after leaving hospital as man, 32, arrested
A LONE woman was subject to an alleged sexual assault and 'locked in a car' shortly after leaving hospital. Cops have since arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of attempting sexual assault. The horror attack happened at around 2am on Wednesday, July 2. The woman suffered a harrowing ordeal as she left Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. She was allegedly locked in a man's car but later managed to escape the vehicle. A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting sexual assault on a female and using threatening or abusive words to cause harassment, alarm or distress. A police spokesperson said: 'A 32-year-old man from Portsmouth has been arrested on suspicion of attempting sexual assault on a female and using threatening or abusive words to cause harassment, alarm, or distress. He remains in custody at this time." 1
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I lived with a serial killer for 6 months before I learned what he'd done - he mentored me and even taught me to shave
A man has spoken of how he lived with a serial killer as a roommate before he found out what he had done. Jesse Crosson shared the experience when he was staying at Nottoway Correctional Centre in the US state of Virginia. He explained he had gotten a job in the wood shop, and when he was moved into a new prison cell, he realised he was already occupied by an 'old little man'. He explained in a TikTok video: ' I remember the pop the door to the cell for me to go in and there was this old little man sitting in front of the TV drinking his coffee and I was like "This is a roommate I can deal with, he's not young and crazy, he's not going to be loud." 'It worked out great. Sometimes he worked night shift, and I worked day shift, so I got the cell to myself. He was quiet, we had good conversations, we watched Jeopardy. I really liked the guy. He even taught me how to shave because when I first got locked up, I couldn't grow a beard, so I never learned.' In the video, he goes on to explain, the roommate never received any mail from family or spoke to anyone on the phone, and as he knew he had previously been a decorated officer in Vietnam, he asked his stepmother if he could write him a letter. He said: 'And then my stepmum comes for a visit and she's like 'You know Jesse, your roommate is a serial killer.' 'I said 'okay...' 'So she tells me this whole story and I got back to have this conversation like "Greg, remember how I said I was going to try to get my stepmum to write to you? Well, she doesn't really feel comfortable" and he says 'yeah, you did your homework' and he laughed and it scared the s**** out of me.' In the video, he went on to say that the roommate was 'connected to dozens of murders across the country ,but I didn't know that at first' He added: 'Finding out one day that I was living with a serial killer was uncomfortable and it didn't really mesh with the things I knew about him. 'He had been a decorated officer in Vietnam. He had served three tours and used to recite the names of every soldier he had lost. 'The man was helping me work on my vocabulary... He was really where I started to understand that one is just one thing.' In 2002, Crosson was originally sentenced to serve 32 years in jail just as he turned 18 after committing two separate and unrelated crimes: being caught in a robbery and a shooting. After spending 19 years behind bars, the 38-year-old shares his jail tales to his 1.2 million TikTok followers, revealing the fascinating facts of what life is really like in prison - and what it was like to readjust to life outside when he was released. In a recent clip, the former inmate shared the moment he was released from prison 'felt like a dream.' He recalled walking outside for the first time and getting into a car felt 'awkward and weird' - and he even had a 'breakdown' in Costco after shopping with his newfound freedom. 'I started to feel two things,' he recalled. 'One was a sense of grief for everything that I lost and beginning to realize all those years had passed, and the other was a sense of joy.' Crosson, who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, recalled shifting his mindset from his life as a free man 'being a dream,' to it being 'waking up' from a bad one. 'It was back to reality for the first time,' the ex-convict explained. 'And it was where I belonged.' The motivational speaker, who has started the Second Chancer Foundation in 2022 to provide direct services for prisoners, admitted he suffered from a breakdown and PTSD, as well as struggling in different environments and relationships. Crosson has also recalled the moment he found out he was being released from prison - saying it had been a 'surprise' - and he woke up that day thinking he still had 10 years left on his prison sentence. However, he was called into the counselor's office who told him the good news - he was a free man. After being given 'ridiculous' release clothes - oversized khaki pants and a large khaki-colored shirt - he left the prison and was picked up by his mom, who he could finally embrace after spending 15 minutes filling out the final paperwork. In one video, Crosson has also recalled the moment he found out he was being released from prison - saying it had been a 'surprise' 'I picked her up and I started swinging her around,' he reminisced. In a TikTok posted in June, Crosson explained he was arrested after he and his co-defendants had run out of money, and were trying to get a fix - making the decision to rob the home of a restaurant owner someone had worked for. Although they justified the crime by convincing themselves the restaurant owners weren't good people. However, someone ended up being home and it turned into a home invasion, which left Crosson paranoid and afraid they were after him. Wanting to defend himself, Crosson purchased a handgun from a friend - which turned out to be stolen - and was involved in a fight that ended in a car chase and him firing his gun. He was caught and sentenced to 32 years - double the recommended sentence. 'When I got arrested I looked absolutely insane,' the ex-criminal recalled, saying he was dressed like a gangster inspired by his friend's uncle, who legitimately was one. 'I had these hiking boots on but I had dress socks, I didn't have any boxers on cause we're so strung out, we can never get organized to do laundry but I was wearing dress clothes, [I] wanted to be just like him,' he said. 'I also had this long overcoat that my stepfather had given me and besides thinking it made me look like a gangster we had a strap on the AK, so I can put it over my shoulder with a regular clip in there, you couldn't even tell it was under the jacket,' he added. The free man said he was arrested in that outfit and had to wear it again when he was transferred from jail to the receiving center before starting his sentence. While he was being processed, he was given the options of sending the garments home or leaving them there. He instead opted to throw the clothes away. 'With limited money on the books, there was no way in the world I was gonna pay for the postage [when] I could buy food and hygiene instead,' he explained. 'Maybe that's why I was so hesitant to start wearing dress clothes again, because for about a year-and-a-half or almost two years all I wore was T-shirts and jeans. I was like no, I don't need that fancy stuff,' he added thoughtfully. In other videos, Crosson revealed more information from his time in prison - including his unusual mentor, who turned out to be a serial killer. 'I was surprised because I said you know I really like this guy,' he recalled in a clip posted to TikTok. 'I get along with him, he teaches me something every day, he helped me a lot in kind of seeing the world in a different way.' Although Crosson appears to be remorseful about his actions, he isn't remorseful about being arrested. 'I needed to be arrested,' he said in a video explaining why he was put behind bars. 'I was an active threat to other people.' 'In many ways being arrested, being pulled me out of the crazy lifestyle, the tail spins that I was in is what saved my life,' he added sincerely. Crosson also said with 'great love and support,' he was able to put his life back together in prison. 'I mentored other men, earned a Bachelor's degree, became a journeyman electrician, wrote articles for publication and found a way forward,' he said.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Benjamin Netanyahu demands end to ‘reprehensible' antisemitic acts after Melbourne synagogue attack
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Australia to apply the full force of its law to prevent 'reprehensible' antisemitic attacks, after a Melbourne synagogue was set on fire with 20 people inside. A 34-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with the alleged arson attack on Friday night, when 20 people were inside the East Melbourne Synagogue. The congregation escaped unharmed through a rear door, and firefighters managed to contain the blaze to the entrance area of the 148-year-old building. Police said the arrested man, Angelo Loras, is a resident of Sydney, the capital of neighbouring New South Wales. He has been charged with offences including criminal damage by fire. 'I view with utmost gravity the antisemitic attacks that occurred last night in Melbourne, which included attempted arson of a synagogue in the city and a violent assault against an Israeli restaurant by pro-Palestinian rioters,' Mr Netanyahu said in posts on X on Sunday morning. 'The reprehensible antisemitic attacks, with calls of 'Death to the IDF' and an attempt to attack a place of worship, are severe hate crimes that must be uprooted. 'The State of Israel will continue to stand alongside the Australian Jewish community, and we demand that the Australian government take all action to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law and prevent similar attacks in the future.' Victoria police said the Toongabbie man was charged with 'reckless conduct endanger life, reckless conduct endanger serious injury, criminal damage by fire, and possess a controlled weapon'. 'Detectives will continue to examine the intent and ideology of the person charged to determine if the incident is in fact terrorism,' police said. It was the first of three suspected antisemitic incidents in Melbourne between Friday night and early Saturday. Authorities have yet to establish a link between the incident at the synagogue and the two attacks on businesses. A restaurant was attacked on Friday night, with protesters chanting 'Death to the IDF', in reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Police are also investigating the spray-painting of a business in Melbourne's northern suburbs, along with an arson attack on three vehicles linked to the business before dawn on Saturday. Israeli president Isaac Herzog joined Mr Netanyahu in warning that the attack must be Australia 's 'last'. 'It is intolerable that in 2025, we are still faced with the chilling image of an attempt to burn Jews alive as they pray, and attacks on Jewish businesses,' he said as he urged the Australian government to confront the 'stain' of antisemitism with 'urgency and resolve'. Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke met with Jewish leaders at the damaged synagogue on Sunday. Mr Burke told reporters that investigators were searching for potential links between the three incidents. 'At this stage, our authorities have not drawn links between them. But obviously there's a link in antisemitism. There's a link in bigotry. There's a link in a willingness to either call for violence, to chant violence or to take out violent actions. They are very much linked in that way,' Mr Burke said. 'There were three attacks that night and none of them belonged in Australia. Arson attacks, the chanting calls for death, other attacks and graffiti – none of it belonged in Australia and they were attacks on Australia,' Mr Burke added.
