[ 2011-05-17 ]

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: denies sexually attacking a hotel maid

IMF’s Strauss-Kahn denies sexually attacking Ghanaian maid
The IMF chief was remanded in custody as a "flight
risk", after prosecutors warned he would flee to
Europe "just like Roman Polanski", the film
director who spent 32 years as a fugitive from the
US.

Strauss-Kahn was arrested trying to leave the
country on a plane at JFK airport, the judge was
told, while evidence suggested he had carried out
similar assaults "on at least one other
occasion".

The 62-year-old father of four now faces up to 74
years in prison if convicted of a series of sex
crimes against the maid in his $3,000-a-night
suite at the Manhattan Sofitel on Saturday
afternoon. His lawyers earlier said he would plead
not guilty to the charges.

"This battle has just begun," his attorney
Benjamin Brafman said outside New York City's
central criminal court after the hearing. "Mr
Strauss-Kahn is innocent".

Judge Melissa Jackson was told by prosecutors how
Mr Strauss-Kahn "sexually assaulted and attempted
to forcibly rape" the 32-year-old maid, an African
immigrant and mother, after locking her in his
room.

"When he was unsuccessful, he forced her to
perform oral sex on him," said John McConnell, an
assistant district attorney. A criminal complaint
details six charges in graphic detail.

The maid immediately alerted colleagues, gave a
"detailed and powerful" account, and selected Mr
Strauss-Kahn from an identity parade, Judge
Jackson was told.

She underwent tests at a local hospital, where she
was treated for minor injuries. "The findings
during that examination corroborate her account,"
said Mr McConnell.

Preliminary inquiries at the hotel suggest "there
may be forensic evidence to support the case," he
said. In video of Mr Strauss-Kahn leaving the
Sofitel, "he appears to be a man in a hurry". Mr
Strauss-Kahn was due to appear in court on Sunday
night but this was delayed after he "willingly
consented" to a DNA test.

Mr McConnell said Mr Strauss-Kahn must be denied
bail as he had "no incentive to stay in this
country and every incentive and resource to
leave", and an "extensive network of contacts
around the world".

Washington had no extradition arrangement with
Paris, he added. "If he went to France, we would
have no legal mechanism to guarantee his return,"
he said.

Mr Polanski fled to France in 1977 after pleading
guilty in California to unlawful sex with a
13-year-old girl. He was only arrested in 2009
after travelling to Switzerland, which eventually
released him.

Mr Strauss-Kahn has "tremendous global political
and economic influence and access to substantial
financial resources," said Mr McConnell. "Millions
of dollars would be a small price to pay for his
freedom".

Mr Brafman argued Mr Strauss-Kahn's behaviour on
Saturday would not have been "logical" if he had
carried out the attack. "He was in a hurry because
he had a lunch date," he said.

The attorney said Mr Strauss-Kahn's ticket on Air
France Flight 23, on which he was apprehended, was
"booked long before", not purchased in an
emergency as reported.

He also called the Sofitel and told them where he
was after realising he left his mobile phone
behind. "For the price of a cell phone, he would
not have called security and said 'I'm at JFK',"
said Mr Brafman.

Mr Brafman argued that bail be set at $1 million
(£600,000), which he said had already been wired
from the personal account of Anne Sinclair, the
IMF chief's wife, who was due to arrive in the
city yesterday afternoon.

He promised Mr Strauss-Kahn would remain in New
York by staying with his daughter Camille, a
university student, and give up an international
travel document. His French passport has been
confiscated.

Judge Jackson was not convinced. "When I hear your
client was at JFK airport about to board a flight,
that raises some concerns," she said. "I think
he's a flight risk".

"This court is going to remand the defendant in
advance of a grand jury", she said. The next
hearing was set for May 20.

The hotel maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn,
the head of the International Monetary Fund, of
sexual assault is a 32-year-old African immigrant,
according to co-workers.

The woman, who has not been named because of the
sensitive nature of the allegations, was described
as “hardworking” and a “satisfactory
employee” by the Sofitel hotel where Dominique
Strauss-Kahn was staying.

“She’s a good person, very nice, very
friendly. She’s in shock,” said another maid
at the hotel to the New York Post. “The office
said: ‘Don’t ask her too much because she’s
sad. Give her a hug’,” she added.

The woman, who has worked at the Sofitel for three
years, is thought to live in the Bronx district of
New York with her husband and have at least one
child, a 16-year-old daughter.

The New York Daily News said one of her
neighbours, 21-year-old Donovan Mitchell, had
described her as “low key” and said: “She
does not bother anybody”.

After the incident, the maid was taken by police
to a local hospital.

She told the police she was asked to clean the
spacious $3,000-a-night (£1,850) suite, which she
was told was empty. She then alleged that Mr
Strauss-Kahn emerged naked from a bathroom and
chased her down the hallway before sexually
assaulting her.

Source - The Telegraph

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