A FASHION mogul employed a Russian mafia hitman to homicide a blonde BBC journalist weeks earlier than Jill Dando was gunned down on her doorstep, bombshell courtroom paperwork declare.
Papers submitted to a Paris courtroom allege Elite mannequin company boss Gerald Marie – who’s accused of raping a number of ladies – wished Lisa Brinkworth “handled” in revenge for her exposing his agency.
Ms Brinkworth had gone undercover to disclose the sordid workings of his company, stories the Day by day Mail.
Now extraordinary paperwork declare the French trend tycoon employed an murderer who went on to kill the improper goal.
Crimewatch presenter Ms Dando was shot useless on the doorstep of her residence in Fulham in 1999 in a surprising homicide that continues to be unsolved.
It is claimed the hitman could have confused the 2 ladies given their bodily similarities, job titles and close by addresses in London.
Ms Brinkworth was additionally a affected person of Ms Dando’s physician fiance Alan Farthing, probably including to the confusion, courtroom papers recommend.
Gerald Marie, former boss of Elite modelling company, is being investigated in France over allegations he raped and sexually abused at the very least 11 ladies within the Nineteen Eighties and 90s – claims he strenuously denies.
Ms Brinkworth is without doubt one of the ladies who has levelled accusations in opposition to the mogul – claiming he assaulted her in 1998 whereas she was working undercover for the BBC to show intercourse crimes within the trend business.
The previous journalist was saved in secure homes following the news and it is claimed she was urged to not take authorized motion in opposition to Marie.
Underneath French legal guidelines, sexual abuse claims should be reported inside 20 years – however papers reveal the attorneys argue the statute ought to be ignored within the case as she spent years fearing for her security.
The courtroom paperwork additionally declare former Elite government Omar Harfouch overheard Marie ordering a member of the Russian mafia to “take care of an issue”.
Papers from French regulation agency Bourdon Associes add: “Shortly thereafter a BBC journalist, Jill Dando, was shot useless in April 1999.
“Certainly, these two journalists had been of their thirties, had been blonde with the identical facial options, of the identical peak and of comparable stature.
“They lived shut to one another and had folks in widespread, together with the husband of Jill Dando.”
The paperwork additionally declare that investigative journalist Philippe Berry was informed that Marie boasted that 12 months about paying gangsters to intimidate a BBC employee.
It comes after mannequin Carré Otis claimed she was raped and forced-fed cocaine by the mogul.
Aged simply 16, she was signed to Elite Mannequin Administration – since credited with inventing the supermodel and serving to to launch the careers of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen.
FASHION’S DARKEST SECRET
For homeless, teenage runaway Carré she believed modelling was her ticket out of a lifetime of hardship, and she or he shortly grew to become a recognisable face within the modelling business throughout the late Nineteen Eighties and 90s.
The younger American graced the quilt of prime trend magazines, even sharing the quilt of Vogue alongside Linda Evangelista.
However behind the glitz and glamour of the modelling business lay a darkish underbelly.
Only a few months into her profession Carré was shipped off to Paris, the place she claims she was repeatedly raped by modelling company boss Marie, who on the time was relationship Linda.
Carré claims she was prescribed a vial of cocaine a day by bosses to maintain her weight down – and that Marie repeatedly raped her within the condo he shared with Canadian supermodel Linda.
She mentioned: “I used to be in a very susceptible state of affairs… he held all the facility and I used to be not within the place to battle again metaphorically and realistically.
“I used to be depending on him for meals, cash, shelter, he held my passport… I used to be 17.”