Latest news with #sexualAbuse
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Kevin Spacey calls for release of Epstein files
Actor Kevin Spacey has called for the release of the so-called Epstein files, saying, 'the truth can't come soon enough.' It's been nearly six years since disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial on federal charges related to the sexual abuse of dozens of minor girls, and Americans are still asking questions about the registered sex offender. The Trump administration had promised to release files from Epstein's federal investigation after conspiracies swirled over the financier's associates and how he died. But the Justice Department and FBI made waves among Trump's Make America Great Again base when they said earlier this month there was never any client list of high-profile names associated with Epstein and confirmed he died by suicide. Spacey, who's faced allegations of sexual offenses, wrote on X Tuesday morning, 'Release the Epstein files. All of them. For those of us with nothing to fear, the truth can't come soon enough. I hate to make this about me — but the media already has.' The 'House of Cards' actor was acquitted by a jury in England in July 2023 of nine sexual offenses, including seven counts of sexual assault. The charges stemmed from allegations made by four men regarding incidents between 2001 and 2013. During an interview with English journalist Piers Morgan in June 2024, Spacey recalled flying on Epstein's jet with the late financier, former President Bill Clinton and a group of 'young girls.' Spacey said he had been invited by Clinton on a humanitarian trip to Africa in 2002, telling Morgan, 'It was primarily to raise awareness and prevention for AIDS, and particularly for mothers who had HIV to get the medication they needed to not pass it onto their children, so I said yes, absolutely.' He claimed not to have known who Epstein was or that it was his plane at the time. The actor went on to say he felt uncomfortable about Epstein, despite claiming to initially not know who he was. 'I didn't want to be around this guy because I felt he put the president at risk on that trip to South Africa, because there were these young girls,' Spacey said. 'We were like, 'Who is this guy?'' Spacey insisted he had 'no relationship' with Epstein, adding, 'He's not my friend. I am not a confidant. I've never spent time with him.'
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims ‘rapist' Trump has complicated release of Epstein files
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed on Friday that having a 'rapist' president in office has muddied the Justice Department's handling of matters involving deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 'Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?' the New York representative asked on X. In 2023, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing columnist E. Jean Carroll, but was not found liable for rape and wasn't charged with a criminal offense. As many Trump supporters noted on the congresswoman's post, ABC News was sued last year when anchor George Stephanopoulos used similar verbiage to characterize the president's alleged actions. Ocasio-Cortez has summarized Trump as a ' rapist and criminal' at rallies as well. While the president was convicted in a cover-up conspiracy to defraud the voting public, those crimes were not sexual in nature. Trump has come under fire from his own supporters this week after Justice Department officials he appointed stated that Epstein kept no 'client list' linking celebrities and public officials to his alleged sex trafficking activities. Many of Trump's followers insist otherwise. Some have questioned whether Trump — once an Epstein party pal— might have been one of the disgraced financier's alleged customers. No evidence has been offered to support that conspiracy theory. MAGA loyalists also expressed disappointment in FBI leaders Kash Patel and Dan Bongino for confirming in May that Epstein committed suicide in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019 rather than being assassinated by a 'deep state' protecting powerful pedophiles, as many internet users have suggested. Reports on Friday signaled that Bongino is ready to leave the FBI if Attorney General Pam Bondi keeps her job at the DOJ after refusing to release any more information about the Epstein case. The president added fuel to that fire when he became upset with a reporter who mentioned Epstein at a Tuesday Cabinet meeting. 'Are people still talking about this guy?' Trump fumed. 'That is unbelievable.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Broken Voices' Review: A Girl's Dreams Are Shattered by Sexual Predation in an Artful Drama From the Czech Republic
Navigating a familiar subject with delicacy and an eye for emotional detail, Czech writer-director Ondrej Provaznik delivers a subtly powerful adolescent drama with his latest feature, Broken Voices (Sbormistr). Inspired by the true story of the Bambini di Praga (Children of Prague), a renowned Czech youth chorus whose director was convicted in 2008 of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls, the film follows a rather foreseeable path but does so with plenty of honesty and heart. After premiering in competition at Karlovy Vary, it could echo across more festivals as well as arthouse distributors throughout Europe. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'The Luminous Life' Review: A Breezy and Melancholic Portrait of a Portuguese Zoomer Looking for Love, Plus a Steady Job Karlovy Vary: 'Sentimental Value' Star Stellan Skarsgård Will Record THR's 'Awards Chatter' Pod in Front of Fest Audience 'When a River Becomes the Sea': An Archaeologist Digs Deep to Uncover and Confront Sexual Trauma Set in the early 90s, when the Czech Republic was shedding the last vestiges of Communism and gradually opening up to the West, Provaznik's well-tempered scenario reveals how children born under Soviet rule were willing to do anything to explore the world outside of their homeland. For sisters Karolina (Katerina Falbrova) and Lucie (Maya Kintera), this means getting chosen as A-list singers in a famous choir that's about to embark on a tour of three major U.S. cities. The hitch is that their celebrated chorus is run by Macha (Juraj Loj), a pretentious and rock star-like musical director who — whether or not this was intentional on the filmmaker's part — seems to have 'sexual predator' written all over his cummerbunds. That sentiment is soon vindicated when we see Lucie queasily come home one night after crossing paths with Macha at a party, making it clear that some of the choir girls have to pay a high price for getting picked. At that point, the elder Lucie is the favorite and Karolina is only the upstart. But as the former recedes into the background after her run-in with Vitek, the latter becomes the focal point of a teacher who shrouds his abusive behavior in lots of mansplaining about achieving the perfect pitch. By the time both sisters head with their chorus to New York, Karolina has become the new target of Vitek's predation. She's aware of what she's being subjected to, but too intimidated and overpowered to escape her fate. Provaznik tells the story primarily from Karolina's point of view, which is one of an innocent girl who slowly succumbs to the crushing forces around her. These include her parents, who are bending over backward so their daughters can get chosen; Lucie and the other singers, who resent Karolina for jumping ahead in the line-up and make her pay for it later on; and Vitek, who has obviously been abusing girls for a long time and earmarks Karolina as his next victim. And then there's the allure of a choir that offered unheard-of opportunities for young women back then, during a moment that saw the Czech Republic and other former Eastern Bloc countries looking beyond the Iron Curtain. Provaznik hints at this during scenes of the teens dancing or singing along to rock songs, with Vitek accompanying them on his guitar. It's a perfect image of the euphoria Karolina and the others experienced — a euphoria undercut by the trauma and humiliation many of them would suffer. Shot in grainy 16mm to better capture the mood of the epoch, Broken Voices keeps its drama grounded in the social and cultural realities of its time. Provaznik coaxes strong performances from the young cast, whether in their chorus rehearsals or behind the scenes. Loj is also memorable as a teacher who abuses his power without any regrets whatsoever, at a time when such abuses mostly went unpunished. The majority of the drama is set in two captivating locations: a remote ski resort where Vitek sequesters the choir for a two-week boot camp before their big tour, subjecting them to intense practice sessions followed by co-ed visits to the sauna; and an upscale hotel in Manhattan where he eventually makes his move on Karolina. The latter sequence is artfully staged in one fixed shot, with a window giving out onto an apartment whose inhabitants are completely unaware of what's happening just across the way. As dark as the film can seem, it's also filled with moments of harmonic bliss whenever the girls perform. Their voices are not only what carry them out of the Czech Republic toward broader horizons; they help turn this thoughtful docudrama into something more contemplative and sublime. The musical numbers culminate in a scene that shows Karolina bravely, sadly and desperately doing the one thing a girl in her position can do — becoming a solo act of resistance in a world of submission. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
The Herald
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald
Plot twists galore in page turner with disturbing subject matter
While a good author can often surprise the reader with one huge twist at the end of a book, it's unusual to come across a story where a twist catches you out almost every chapter. This is what John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas , has achieved with his latest book, Air , from his series of element-themed novels. However, readers must be warned that this story, and the others in this series, could be extremely triggering for people who have suffered any form of sexual abuse. At the heart of the story is a long-distance journey being undertaken by a 40-year-old single dad, Aaron, and his 14-year-old son, Emmet. Initially we aren't told the reason for the journey by plane, train and boat, from Australia to an island off the coast of Ireland, but we do know it has to do with something that happened to Emmet's mother (Aaron's ex-wife) Rebecca. It is established early on that Aaron was sexually abused as a teenager, which has resulted in his struggles to form and maintain relationships as an adult. Now that Emmet is the same age that Aaron was when the incident happened, he is overprotective, wanting to ensure that nothing bad happens to his son. However, the father-son relationship is strained, as Emmet reacts to his father with sarcasm, eye rolls, and disobedience, resulting in sometimes tense and at other times, hilarious moments in the story. While the story is built around this journey and relationship, many chapters are flashbacks, where we get to understand what has happened in both Aaron and Rebecca's lives, how an author named Furia Flyte that Aaron seems to have a hatred for fits into the picture, and to get a clearer idea of what is going on in Emmet's life. But whenever you think you have it figured out, Boyne pulls the rug out from under you with another surprise revelation about either the present or past. Is the journey about revenge or redemption, why does Aaron dislike Furia so much, why does Emmet have almost naked photos of himself saved on his phone? All of these questions, and more, will be answered in surprising ways, making Air a book that you want to keep reading, despite the disturbing subject matter that is always hiding just under the surface. — This book is available from Exclusive Books for R365.
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- The Guardian
Greater Manchester police investigating over 1,000 grooming gang suspects
Greater Manchester police are investigating more than 1,000 grooming gang suspects, as a new report found the force was 'trying to provide a better service to those who have experienced sexual exploitation'. The force has made 'significant improvements' in how it investigates grooming gangs and other types of child sexual abuse offences, according to the report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. The report looks at the way grooming gangs and other child sexual offences are handled by the police, health bodies and the 10 councils across Greater Manchester. It said police had live investigations into 'multi-victim, multi-offender' child sexual exploitation cases involving 714 victims and survivors and 1,099 suspects. 'We found that since 2019, when Greater Manchester police started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation,' the inspector of constabulary for the northern region, Michelle Skeer, said. 'It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation. 'But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences. 'It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.' At a press conference, GMP's chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, said those who had failed victims in the past 'should face justice like anyone else'. He continued: 'To those who are responsible for these repugnant crimes – as is now very apparent – we will pursue you relentlessly.' The chief constable said the role ethnicity played in grooming gang offending was a 'legitimate question' and may be explored in a future national inquiry. A recent report by Louise Casey found that Asian men were significantly over-represented as suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, saying authorities were in 'denial', and that more needed to be done to understand why this was the case. GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs, which it did in 2021, now called the child sexual exploitation major investigation team (CSE MIT), with about 100 staff and a ringfenced budget. The force approaches child sexual exploitation as it does serious and organised crime gangs, using specialist tactics. The report identified improvements that could be made in order to better address the issue and progress investigations. These included data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to 'significant delays in investigations'. The report said intelligence provided by Manchester city council took months to arrive and 'was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words'. So far the CSE MIT and the earlier grooming gang investigations have resulted in 42 convictions, with offenders imprisoned for a total of more than 430 years. Other investigations are ongoing, with several more trials scheduled. In a statement, Greater Manchester's mayor, Andy Burnham, said: 'I am confident in my view that the Greater Manchester system is in a demonstrably different and far stronger place today than it was when the failings happened.' He added: 'The effect of the assurance review I commissioned has been to usher in widespread culture change across all GM bodies. Never again will any child here be labelled or dismissed when they come forward to report concerns. 'Now the national inquiry is being put in place, we must allow victims the space and the right climate to have their voices heard, allow the actual truth to be established and accountability delivered.'
