Football super agent Jonathan Barnett is under criminal investigation in London over allegations of raping and torturing a ‘sex slave’, according to new legal documents which have confirmed his arrest at Heathrow Airport.
A woman referred to as ‘Jane Doe’ has accused Barnett, who was recognised in 2019 by Forbes magazine as the world’s most powerful football agent, of trafficking her from Australia to the UK and raping her ‘in excess of 39 times’.
The civil complaint, which was lodged in July in the United States, alleged that Barnett raped the woman in a London hotel in 2017 before later subjecting her to six years of sexual assault and torture.
The female claimant also alleged that the six-year period of abuse was enabled by a financial bondage held over her and her two teenage children.
According to legal documents obtained by the Telegraph, Barnett has acknowledged paying his accuser ‘well in excess of £1milllion’ to keep her silence after their ‘consensual personal relationship’ broke down.
The new documents were filed by Barnett’s lawyers at the Central District Court in California.
Football super agent Jonathan Barnett (above) is under criminal investigation in London over allegations of raping and torturing a ‘sex slave’, according to new legal documents
The powerful agent is best known for brokering Gareth Bale’s £85m move to Real Madrid
The agent, who hired prominent Hollywood entertainment lawyer Marty Singer in an effort to get the civil claim thrown out, has consistently and strenuously denied all wrongdoing and previously said that he is ‘looking forward to being entirely vindicated and exonerated’.
He said in a court statement: ‘When my relationship with plaintiff ended in or around September 2021, she threatened to publicly disclose the relationship unless I paid her significant sums of money.
‘As a result of those threats, I paid plaintiff for a number of years, ultimately paying her well in excess of £1,000,000.
‘To my knowledge, other than during periods when plaintiff may have been travelling outside of the UK, all payments I made to plaintiff were made to her in England,’ Barnett, whose offices reside in London, added.
‘All personal meetings, interactions and communications between me and plaintiff took place solely in London. The location of all hotels, apartments or other places where plaintiff and I met during the entirety of our relationship are located solely in London.’
Within his legal documentation, the case was described as ‘the unfortunate (and vicious) fallout of a personal relationship’ between the plaintiff and Barnett.
It was also argued that litigating the case in California would be ‘exceedingly burdensome and inefficient’ and would cause ‘potential conflicts with UK proceedings and laws’.
Barnett, who founded Stellar Group talent agency in 1992, is best known for brokering Gareth Bale’s £85m move from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013.
Barnett has consistently and strenuously denied all wrongdoing in relation to the case
Alongside Bale, the agent has represented high-profile players including Jack Grealish, Jordan Pickford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek over the years.
A Metropolitan Police statement, now believed to be linked to the arrest of Barnett earlier this year, said: ‘On Saturday, 29 March, at approximately 10:52hrs, a man was arrested when his flight landed at Heathrow Airport.
‘He was arrested on suspicion of rape and causing grievous bodily harm. He has been released on bail. Enquiries into the circumstances continue.’
Lawyers have reportedly confirmed his arrest at Heathrow in US-submitted court papers that deny allegations, calling it a ‘consensual personal relationship’.
