EXCLUSIVE Leading football agent who represents Jack Grealish denies claims he 'raped a sex slave'
Jonathan Barnett, who masterminded Bale's £85million move to Real Madrid, is alleged in a civil document lodged in a US court to have trafficked his victim from Australia in 2017, subjected her to degrading acts, raped her at least 39 times and threatened to kill her and her children if she spoke out, the documents state.
Lawyers for Barnett said he was not made aware of the complaint until late last night and he would 'vigorously' defend the lawsuit.
He said in a statement: 'The claims made in today's complaint against me have no basis in reality and are untrue.
'We will vigorously defend this lawsuit through the appropriate legal process. I am looking forward to being entirely vindicated and exonerated.'
The 75-year-old founder of CAA Stellar Sports, which represents England stars Grealish, Ivan Toney and Morgan Gibbs-White, allegedly forced the unnamed plaintiff to 'hunt for additional slaves,' according to the complaint.
He made her call him 'master,' referred to her simply as 'slave,' forced her to drink her own urine and kicked and beat her so violently she developed a tumour on her back which requires chemotherapy treatment, the statement of claim lodged in California states.
'After every occasion that he physically abused the plaintiff, Barnett demanded she send him photographs and videos of the marks he left on her body to his company phone,' the document continues.
Barnett, who was credited as introducing Lennox Lewis to the world of boxing and bringing cricket to South Africa at Nelson Mandela's request, co-founded the agency CAA Stellar in the early 1990s.
In 2019, he was named by Forbes as the most powerful agent in the world and his firm was incorporated into Hollywood talent agency ICM Partners the following year.
His alleged victim and her lawyers, Tamara Holder and the Bill Quinlan Firm, have demanded damages, a jury trial and 'interest according to law' over the allegations, the complaint states.
Barnett, according to the complaint, is said to have sent the woman a message over LinkedIn in 2017, having met years earlier.
He invited her to lunch in an exclusive members-only restaurant in Mayfair and told her 'I am Stellar, you should come and work for me,' the document claims.
He offered her a starting salary of £4,000 a month, to cover the costs of visas for her and her two children and covered her travel to London, the paper alleges.
After she moved to Britain, Barnett exercised 'debt bondage' to keep her under his control and made increasingly 'demented' demands, it is alleged.
Describing an alleged encounter in a hotel suite soon after the alleged victim arrived in Britain, the document states: 'As if a switch had flipped, Barnett's demeanor changed. Barnett was suddenly direct and aggressive.
The complaint reads: 'Barnett told the plaintiff that she was not allowed to speak or look at him, that he "owned" her and she was now his slave, and she "owed him" for the opportunity he was giving her.
'Barnett further told Ms. Doe that, moving forward, she was to refer to him as "my Master" and that she would be killed, and her children disadvantaged, if she ever spoke out.'
He then raped the woman, it is alleged, before subjecting her to torture and increasingly degrading demands.
He forced the woman to lick the toilet seat, drink her own urine and self-harm, and would demand videos of her engaging in such acts, it is alleged.
'Barnett was obsessed with treating her like a dog, kicking her and keeping dog leashes, a dog bone, and heavy collars that he used on her violently,' the document states.
'Barnett had other animal obsessions, including but not limited to, Barnett stripping naked and riding around the room on [her] back, forcing her to crawl and telling her she was a pony while he whipped her. The heavy weight of Barnett on [her] back and knees often left her with pain, bruises, and bleeding knees,' the complaint alleges.
Barnett would encourage the woman to hunt for more slaves, likening the exercise to his own role recruiting footballers, the paper claims.
'After approximately two months of violent abuse by Barnett, he ordered Ms. Doe to participate in an all-consuming task that he called "slave hunting",' the document states.
'When Barnett initially explained her duties to her, she objected. In response, he said, "Think of it as a game like football",' the complaint reads.
Barnett, who was educated at St Marylebone Grammar School, announced his retirement last year, but he is understood to remain at CAA Stellar as chairman.
A defence is yet to be filed in the civil case.
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