Key Facts

• A collective of over 50 women alleging sexual assault and rape in France, including victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Jean-Luc Brunel, and Mohammed Al Fayed, are demanding the abolition of the statute of limitations in French law.
• The current statute of limitations in France is 20 years for adults and 30 years for minors, which the women claim has prevented them from seeking justice for their alleged assaults.
• Thysia Husiman, one of the women, alleges she was raped at the age of 18 in Paris by model agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who was found hanged in his cell in La Santé prison in 2022 whilst being held on suspicion of the rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation.
• Former BBC producer Lisa Brinkworth claims she was sexually assaulted while working undercover to expose abuse in the fashion industry by Elite Model Management boss Gerald Marie, and is taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights after her case was dismissed in France due to the statute of limitations.
• Brinkworth alleges that she was directed not to report the assault at the time, was denied evidence gathered during the documentary, and was told by the BBC that she was "legally bound" not to speak out about the alleged assault, with the BBC now stating that they have provided material to the French authorities and will continue to assist with the process.