Five Epstein Victims Speak Out, Unveil Lifelong Scars: 'He Liked the Fear in Our Eyes'

Five survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's assault shared their stories in an emotional interview, revealing deep-seated trauma.

Five women described how Jeffrey Epstein thrived on their terror while he assaulted them. In a tell-all BBC Newsnight interview, they recalled horrific experiences that transpired at multiple locations, including Epstein's New York apartment and his Little St James island.

Epstein Survivor Recounts Rape Trauma

Joanna Harrison was forced to break her silence after her identity was accidentally exposed in the Jeffrey Epstein files. 'There comes a time when you feel suffocated and need to breathe, and this is my way of attempting to breathe,' she said.

Harrison first met Epstein in Florida at 18, and their encounter quickly escalated from the initial massage. 'When he started to masturbate, I was completely paralysed. I don't believe I spoke more than two words on the ride home,' she recounted.
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Harrison said Epstein raped her on his birthday, and she has since relived that trauma every time he appeared on the news. 'It's abnormal to see your abuser's face on television every day for six years,' she stated.​

'Eclectic' Group of Passengers in Epstein Flight

Chauntee Davies shared a similar experience while travelling with Epstein on a private plane to Africa. She said the people on that flight were 'the most eclectic group of people that you could put together,' while showing pictures that included Epstein, his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, actor Kevin Spacey, and former President Bill Clinton.

Davies said Epstein raped her shortly after she was hired to give him massages. 'It was very much a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and unfortunately, it had to be tainted by what was happening behind closed doors,' she said.

In his February deposition with the US House Oversight Committee, Clinton said he didn't know of Davies' alleged assault. The latter confirmed that she never told the former president. 'I was never going to speak about this with anyone,' she stated.

Another survivor, Lisa Phillips, asked Epstein why he forced her friend into performing sexual acts. She said Epstein just smirked and replied, 'I like to have things on people.'
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Phillips was referring to a friend who, in 2003, was called to Epstein's New York apartment to have sex with a man she identified as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested in February on charges of misconduct. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied the allegations.​

'He liked the fear in our eyes,' Phillips said of Epstein's abuses. 'I think he liked that we were frozen and scared and didn't know what to do, and I think he got off on that.'

Jena-Lisa Jones and Wendy Pesante, both 14 when they encountered Epstein, said their friendship has only grown stronger because of their shared ordeal. The abuse had, tragically, warped their worldview long-term.
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'When you go through something like that so young it kind of distorts your reality for a long time,' Pesante said. 'You shouldn't have the mindset of a sex worker at 14.'

Bitter Nostalgia, Aftermath, and Closure

The group was shown old photos of themselves when they first met Epstein. Harrison noted of her 18-year-old self, 'I don't smile the same way now.' Recognising Little St James island in a photo of herself in a boat, Phillips added, 'I was enjoying my life, and I had no idea what was about to happen to me. 'This is not what I looked when I left the island.'
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The women believe Epstein's powerful associates knew of the abuses. They doubt if there will ever be any closure to their trauma, especially after Epstein was declared dead by suicide in the official report. 'I have questions I'll never get an answer to,' Harrison said.

All of them cast doubt on Epstein's cause of death, however. On 10 August, 2019, Epstein was found dead hanging in his prison cell in New York. 'We knew him, we knew the kind of person he was,' Phillips asserted, implying that it's unlikely Epstein killed himself.