Woody Allen abuse allegation

[twinkles**stars]

New York (AFP) - The adopted daughter of Woody Allen has spoken for the first time about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of the legendary Hollywood director during her childhood.

In an open letter published on a New York Times blog, Dylan Farrow, adopted by Allen during his relationship with actress Mia Farrow, detailed being abused by the director when she was seven years old.

"He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother's electric train set. Then he sexually assaulted me," Farrow, 28, wrote in the letter.

"He talked to me while he did it, whispering that I was a good girl, that this was our secret, promising that we'd go to Paris and I'd be a star in his movies."

It is the first time Dylan Farrow has spoken publicly about the unproven allegations of abuse which emerged more than two decades ago in the aftermath of Allen's acrimonious split with Mia Farrow in 1992.

Allen, who left Mia Farrow after starting a relationship with the actress's adopted daughter from a previous marriage, Soon-Yi Previn, has always vigorously denied abusing Dylan Farrow.

A New York judge in the 1994 custody battle between Allen and Farrow ruled that the abuse allegations were inconclusive, while at the same time lambasted the director as "self-absorbed, untrustworthy and insensitive."

Allen's representatives could not be immediately reached for comment on Saturday after Dylan Farrow's revelations. The New York Times reported that he had refused to comment.

His adopted daughter accused the Hollywood establishment of sweeping Allen's alleged crimes under the carpet by continuing to honor his films.

Dylan with her mother Mia Farrow in 1990, two years before the alleged incident. Photo: Getty

The director's latest movie, "Blue Jasmine", is nominated for three Academy Awards at next month's Oscars, including best original screenplay for the director.

Farrow called on three of the stars of "Blue Jasmine" -- Australian actress Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin and Louis C.K. to examine their relationship with Allen, asking pointedly: "What if it had been your child?"

"Woody Allen was never convicted of any crime. That he got away with what he did to me haunted me as I grew up," she wrote.

"That torment was made worse by Hollywood. All but a precious few (my heroes) turned a blind eye. Most found it easier to accept the ambiguity, to say, 'who can say what happened,' to pretend that nothing was wrong.

"Actors praised him at awards shows. Networks put him on TV. Critics put him in magazines.

"Woody Allen is a living testament to the way our society fails the survivors of sexual assault and abuse."

[i-need-a-martini]

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@amber-eyed-girl wrote:
She is now a grown woman with her own life. Almost thirty and independent.

I would hope that any "coaching" was well over.

The prosecutor of the time has stated his reasons for not proceeding when she was a child. Thinking she had been coached was not one of them.

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Who knows what the truth is. But I imagine it's hard to tell the difference between reality or not if you've had one image in your head since you were a small child. 

Regarding the prosecutor, he wanted to take it further (he was always on Farrows side) but he couldn't get the child to talk and her story kept changing. Plus none of the experts would back him/Farrow up. So he thought that the case wouldn't get anywhere. 

But look at it this way: Farrow takes her daughter to be medically examined to a sexual abuse clinic. They find that she has not been physically abused. They also find that the child doesn't talk about sexual touching altho she talks about being touched on her shoulder etc. Given that this wasn't your ordinary GP, I assume they would know what words they need to use to coax a child to spill the beans on any abuse she has been subjected to.

So they do not believ abuse has taken place. When she gets home Farrow then records an interview with her 7 year old daughter. She takes that tape back to the clinic and shows the paediatrician. He is now obliged to report it to the police.

[cherry*135]

Mia Farrow's brother

Oct 2013

an article about the recent 10-year jail sentence received by her brother, John Charles Villiers-Farrow, for multiple counts of child molestation—a topic she’s been unusually quiet about, considering her penchant for calling out alleged (let alone, convicted) molesters to whom she’s exposed her children.

[i-need-a-martini]

Sure I understand that am. There was no (firm) evidence that the child was being coached. 

However, the doctor at the time who examined the child and investigated the claims was part of a sexual abuse unit. I suspect his team would know if abuse had taken place and there would be no reason for him to say otherwise. So given the lack of evidence that any abuse had taken place, I suspect him 'theorizing' as to why those allegations were made is all he can do.

[cherry*135]

In the midst of the proceedings, on February 2, 1993, a revealing article appeared in the Los Angeles Times, headlined: “Nanny Casts Doubt on Farrow Charges,” in which former nanny Monica Thompson (whose salary was paid by Allen, since three of the brood were also his) swore in a deposition to Allen’s attorneys that she was pressured by Farrow to support the molestation charges, and the pressure led her to resign her position.

Thompson had this to say about the videotape: ““I know that the tape was made over the course of at least two and perhaps three days. I recall Ms. Farrow saying to Dylan at that time, ‘Dylan, what did daddy do… and what did he do next?’ Dylan appeared not to be interested, and Ms. Farrow would stop taping for a while and then continue.”

[amber-eyed-girl]

The trouble with that is, a small girl, if the mother is kind and loving (i.e, there is a trust bond) will talk to the mother but not some stranger about things that are unpleasant. And may well not be forthcoming there either.

I can understand that. But the thing is she is talking now, to the world, and as her reason is that a man she appears to genuinely believe has hurt her, is a hero to many.

The only way to clear this up is with a trial. Then, the world would know that she is willing to subject herself to a sworn cross-examination by his lawyers. That would lend credence, I think.

I do not personally know what to believe, so I am not going to blacken Woody Allen in my mind based on this, as it stands.

But I have every sympathy for a woman who is in the mindset to say this, if that makes sense. And would wish her a happy life.

[cherry*135]

I was replying to this.

It was investigated at the time and wasn't it found that Mia had coached the child in what to say?

That wasn't found.

The doctor acknowledged that "We don't have firm evidence that Miss Farrow coached or directed Dylan to say this."

Feb 4

REPRESENTATIVES for Woody Allen have criticised his former lover Mia Farrow, accusing her of engineering the child sexual abuse scandal that promises to dominate the Oscars next month.

[i-need-a-martini]

But as we sadly know, the mother (even in a loving family) is often the last person a child will tell.

A medical/psychological professional is the expert who is trained to garner information like this regardless of how unwilling a child is.

I also don't believ that a 7 year old child would with hold information about pain. It would take too much to get to the bottom of something like that.

[the_great_she_elephant]

Was the allegation that he had actually  raped her or that he had sexually abused her? if it wasn't rape then there would not have been physical evidence.

[amber-eyed-girl]

That is true, it depends on what was said whether there would have been anything to find.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Martini, experts are often the last person to get anywhere...a stranger, usually a man, asking a child about sexual matters?

Regardless of how unwilling...sounds like interrogation. Which is what it is.

Children often tell noone, while they are still children.

Think of Teri Hatcher. She was abused. She came forward to support another woman, first speaking of it only as an adult.