David Copperfield: Sexual misconduct allegations against magician

Famous in the 1980s and 1990s, illusionist David Copperfield is making headlines again.

Warning: mention of sexual assault

A celebrity magician famous for his tricks and sleight of hand has been accused of sexual misconduct.

David Copperfield has been named in claims of inappropriate behaviour by 16 women.

The now 67-year-old magician was world famous in the 1990s – he won 21 Emmys, holds 11 Guinness world records, and dated supermodel Claudia Schiffer – is making headlines once again, but the spell of fame has been broken by claims of sexual misconduct by 16 women, some of whom were under the age of 18 at the time, and one as young as 15.

The alleged incidents range from sex without consent to groping and unwanted touching, reports the Guardian.

It says the events happened from the late 1980s to as recently as 2014, and that the Guardian US investigation is “examining these allegations as part of a series of stories that has drawn on interview with more than 100 people and court and police records” – indicating there is more to come. Some women, it said, agreed to be named.

Three women claim to have been drugged by Copperfield before they had sex, and that they could therefore not consent.

Four women said they were groped by the Copperfield, and that during live performances they were made to touch him in a sexual manner.

In response to the claims, Copperfield’s lawyers have provided a statement to the BBC.

“Everyone that knows David Copperfield will tell you that these recent allegations from one newspaper are the exact opposite of who David is,” it said. “Most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them are as false now as they were then. David requested the ‘evidence’ upon which these false allegations claim to rely and this has not been provided.”

It’s not the first time the magician has been accused of inappropriate behaviour with women.

There were allegations in 2018 that he had drugged and assaulted a model in 1988. Copperfield denied these claims, calling them “fabricated” and “heinous”.

The women in the Guardian investigation say they were inspired by the #MeToo movement to come forward – a reassessing of behaviour, consent and power that has seen allegations levelled at stars including Kevin Spacey, Louis CK, James Franco, Jamie Foxx and Mario Batali.

Convictions against Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby were both overturned.

Danny Masterson and R Kelly are both currently serving sentences in prison.