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Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.
Survivors speak out after names revealed in Epstein files
Five women who suffered abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein have shared their experiences publicly for the first time after their identities were accidentally disclosed in U.S. government documents. The survivors told BBC Newsnight they felt compelled to speak out despite years of shame and silence.
"It gets to a point where you're being suffocated and you need to breathe, and I feel this is my way of trying to breathe," said Joanna Harrison, one of the women whose name was exposed in the unredacted files.
First joint appearance reveals shared trauma
BBC Newsnight brought Harrison and four other survivors together in the same room for an hours-long discussion. The women exchanged supportive gestures, studied photographs of themselves from the time they met Epstein, and shared tears as they recounted their experiences.
The survivors described a pattern of abuse that often began with seemingly innocent massages before escalating. Harrison, who met Epstein in Florida at age 18, recalled freezing when he began masturbating during their first encounter. She later disclosed being raped by Epstein on his birthday.
Private island and ranch described as sites of abuse
Several women recounted experiences at Epstein's properties, including his private island Little St James and his New Mexico ranch Zorro Ranch. Chauntae Davies shared never-before-seen images of her travels with Epstein on his private plane to Africa, which included stops with actor Kevin Spacey and former U.S. President Bill Clinton on a humanitarian trip.
"It was very much a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and unfortunately, it had to be tainted by what was happening behind closed doors," Davies said.
Davies, a trained massage therapist, revealed she gave Clinton a neck and back massage during a refueling stop in Portugal. She said Clinton appeared humble and kind at the time, though she never considered telling him about Epstein's abuse. Clinton later told a congressional committee he wished Davies had informed him of the wrongdoing.
Allegations of abuse at New Mexico ranch resurface
The release of Epstein files prompted New Mexico to reopen a criminal investigation into Zorro Ranch, which had been shelved in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors. Davies described the ranch as having a "cold, dark, eerie feeling" and said most of her assaults occurred there.
"I have my darkest memories from Zorro Ranch," Davies said. "I remember being like 'this place is really creepy.'"
Lisa Phillips, another survivor, alleged that Epstein instructed a friend to have sex with Prince Andrew (then known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) at his Upper East Side apartment in 2003. Phillips said Epstein later told her he "liked to have things on people."
Survivors question Epstein's death and seek justice
The women expressed skepticism about Epstein's 2019 death in prison, which was ruled a suicide by the New York medical examiner. Phillips called on UK police to investigate her allegations regarding Prince Andrew.
"We knew him, we knew the kind of person he was," Phillips said of Epstein.
Jena-Lisa Jones and Wendy Pesante, who met Epstein at age 14, described how the abuse distorted their reality for years. Looking at photographs of themselves at the ages they were abused, the women reflected on how their lives had changed.
"I don't smile the same way anymore," Harrison said, studying an image of her 18-year-old self.
