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Associated Press

A former model has accused Brooklyn-born magician David Blaine of raping her in a stately London mansion in 2004, according to a new report.
Natasha Prince told The Daily Beast that Blaine invited her to the posh private residence shortly after her 21st birthday and promptly fixed her a vodka cocktail in a tall crystal glass.
Whatever was in the drink, it caused her to turn “floaty” and mostly black out, she said.
“At some point, I was on the bed, face-forward, and he was behind me. I think it woke me up a little bit, because I’d never had that done to me before,” Prince told the news website.
“I remember being flipped around, and it all seemed like slow motion,” she said.
Prince recalled feeling “very stoned” when she finally woke up and was fully conscious.
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“The lights were on, and I was naked. He was shirtless at the end of the bed. And when I looked at him, he said, ‘You have really nice (breasts)’,” Prince said.
Blaine’s lawyer denied the allegations in a statement.
“My client vehemently denies that he raped or sexually assaulted any woman, ever, and he specifically denies raping a woman in 2004,” the statement from Marty Singer said.
“If, in fact, there is any police investigation, my client will fully cooperate because he has nothing to hide.”
In her interview with The Daily Beast, Prince said she didn’t report the alleged rape at first because she initially felt attracted to Blaine and believed she invited the attack by showing possible interest.
“You have to understand, my interpretation was that it was my fault. I didn’t think of it as rape. In my head, rape was being sober – pull her in a bush, pull down her pants and just ditch her … So I blamed myself. I did like him. I was interested in him. So I didn’t think about going to the police,” she told the website.
Prince described first meeting Blaine, now 44, at a Knightsbridge nightclub called the Wellington.
“He was nice to me,” she said. “I’m not sure what was said, but I remember he was giving me a lot of attention. I’m thinking, ‘He’s famous; there are beautiful girls all around him.’ I didn’t have any intentions – I just love meeting people.”
She said Blaine texted her the next day with the invitation to the private residence. At first she turned it down, citing an early work call the next morning, but Blaine offered to send a car, so she agreed, she said.
“We pulled up to this mansion – there were electronic gates, and it really intimidated me. It was like an embassy, with 20 or 30 rooms, and I took an elevator up to the third or fourth floor,” she said.
Prince said Blaine handed her the drink, and shortly after that, he assaulted her.
In a make-up chair for a modelling gig the next morning, she tried to piece everything together, she said.
“What did I do last night? Did I have sex with David Blaine? But I didn’t want to,” she recalled thinking. “I felt hazy, completely out of it. I don’t remember taking a shower, where I changed, leaving his house or anything,” she said.
Prince said her personality began to shift after the alleged assault. She became more insecure and anxious, drank more and eventually quit modelling altogether at age 24.
“I think I tried really hard to block it out. But I carried this awful feeling with me,” she said.
She ran into Blaine a few times over the years, including a chance encounter in the New York City subway when he was with his girlfriend and daughter, she said.
A few days later, Blaine showed up outside her new place of work, Manhattan’s famed Gagosian Gallery.
“He called my name and asked how I was. It was very brief, but he seemed to come out of nowhere,” Prince said.
Blaine acknowledged meeting Prince in a statement from Singer that claimed she approached him.
“The last time my client saw Ms Prince was approximately five years ago, on the streets of New York, where Ms Prince approached my client and invited him to see her at the Gagosian Gallery, where she works. This conduct is completely inconsistent with any claim that my client engaged in any wrongful conduct approximately 13 years ago with Ms. Prince,” Singer said.
Prince said she finally reported the incident last year after working out what happened in therapy.
“I was so ashamed and worried about everyone knowing in New York,” she said of the delay. “I had always protected myself and my reputation. I considered myself a classy girl from a nice British family. I had standards. I wasn’t the type to sleep around.”
London police confirmed to The Daily Beast that a report was made in November last year.
“There have been no arrests at this stage and inquiries continue,” investigators reportedly said.
Prince reportedly shared an email with The Daily Beast showing Scotland Yard had contacted Blaine’s lawyer and requested the illusionist appear for an “interview under caution.”


Ex-model Natasha Prince accuses magician David Blaine of drugging and raping her in London mansion

US magician David Blaine and ex-model Natasha Prince, who accuses him of raping her. Photos: TNS

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Blaine’s lawyer rejects claims by Prince that magician assaulted her in 2004 after giving her a drink that caused her to black out


Ex-model Natasha Prince accuses magician David Blaine of drugging and raping her in London mansion

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Blaine’s lawyer rejects claims by Prince that magician assaulted her in 2004 after giving her a drink that caused her to black out

Blaine’s lawyer rejects claims by Prince that magician assaulted her in 2004 after giving her a drink that caused her to black out