David Blaine: magician accused of sexual assault
New York police investigating allegations by two women
US police are investigating magician and illusionist David Blaine over claims of sexual assault, the authorities have confirmed.
New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told reporters at an unrelated news conference that Blaine is under “active” investigation, reports The Guardian.
The Brooklyn-born magician, who turns 46 this week, has been accused of sexual assault by two different women, in two separate alleged incidents.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A senior NYPD official with knowledge of the probe told news website The Daily Beast that one of the women’s claims “may fall outside the statute of limitations”, as she alleges that she was “sexually assaulted by Blaine inside his Manhattan apartment in 1998”.
Under New York state law, all but the most serious sexual crimes can only be prosecuted within five years of their alleged occurance.
The details of the other allegation have not been disclosed. Blaine has not yet been interviewed over the allegations, according to reports.
In a statement, the NYPD said it “takes sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously, and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors”.
This is not the first time that Blaine has been accused of sexual assault. In 2017, the magician was investigated by Scotland Yard after former model Natasha Prince accused him of raping her following a party in London in 2004 - an allegation Blaine “vehemently denied”, HuffPost reports.
Detectives later cleared Blaine of all the charges.
The magician first “found fame with stunts such as staying in a box nine metres (30ft) in the air for 40 days in London, and being buried in a plastic box for a week”, says Sky News.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Why would anyone look to the United States as a model?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Kristi Noem and the politics of puppy killing
Talking Point Revelations in Republican's upcoming memoir may have doomed her political career
By The Week UK Published
-
Death toll in Brazil flooding tops 100
Speed Read The record rainfall is linked to El Niño, which has been exacerbated by climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published