How Hollywood paedophile ring behind child abuse ‘as horrific as Jimmy Savile’s’ could finally be exposed in wake of Weinstein scandal
A RING of high-powered Hollywood paedophiles – whose abuse was as horrific as Jimmy Savile's – is set to be exposed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal.
Actors including The Goonies and Lost Boys star Corey Feldman have said US laws have prevented them from naming abusers who allegedly assaulted them as children.
But it is believed the wave of A-list actresses coming forward to expose Weinstein, 65, and other Hollywood bosses as sex predators is a "tipping point" that will inspire victims of child abuse in Hollywood to finally name and shame their attackers.
Feldman has claimed his fellow child star Corey Haim was raped on the set of a film when he was just 11.
The Lost Boys star, who struggled with drug abuse throughout his life and died at the age of 38 in 2010, was allegedly attacked by an unidentified man on the set of 1986 film Lucas.
Feldman said: "I’m not able to name names. People are frustrated, people are angry, they want to know how is this happening, and they want answers — and they turn to me and they say, 'Why don’t you be a man and stand up and name names and stop hiding and being a coward?'".
"I have to deal with that, which is not pleasant, especially given the fact that I would love to name names. I’d love to be the first to do it. But unfortunately California conveniently enough has a statute of limitations that prevents that from happening."
The extent of the abuse was laid bare in a 2014 documentary that revealed boys were raped at gunpoint and took cocaine at Hollywood parties.
A film source in LA said: "Harvey’s case, as bad as it is, really is simply the tip of the iceberg in terms of the sexual abuse that has been rampant in Hollywood for decades."
He added: "Paedophiles being protected in Hollywood is the film business’ worst-kept secret, and all it takes is for a case like Harvey to break it all open.
"There have been rumours ever since news about Harvey broke that a raft of Hollywood abusers are going to be named, as the victims are sick and tired of fearing the legal consequences and know it’s the right thing to do."
There is no suggestion Weinstein is involved in a Hollywood paedophile ring.
The insider added that the scale and depravity of Hollywood child sex abuse is "more horrific than the Jimmy Savile case" that rocked British broadcasting, and would disgust the entire world if the truth came out.
In his book Coreyography, Feldman said Haim was told it was perfectly normal for older men and younger boys in the business to have sexual relations.
It was “what all the guys do”, the man reportedly told Haim before raping him in a secluded area between two trailers.
From the minute Corey Feldman met Corey Haim, as they prepared to work on the film, they were instant friends.
They already knew of each other and had competed for the same roles before.
But as they dug deeper into their friendship, a dark story began to emerge, reports .
They were preparing to work on the cult classic when Haim confided in his friend about his sexual encounter, and suggested, “I guess we should play around like that, too?” Feldman alleged in the book.
While Tinseltown is in turmoil over the shocking revelations of sexual abuse against women by Weinstein, accusations long made famous by child actor Feldman are gaining traction as a reminder that sexual abuse is universal — and there may be bigger fish to fry.
Feldman has long said paedophilia is the biggest problem facing Hollywood.
On his reality series, The Two Coreys, which he starred in alongside Haim, the pair had a full, frank and sometimes painful discussion about the sexual abuse they both suffered as children.
It was in Coreyography, released in 2013, that Feldman alleged the darkest secret in Tinseltown was not the casting couch but a paedophilia ring that saw Feldman and Haim spiral into a life of drug addiction and despair.
When Haim died in 2010, Feldman told ABC News: “There’s one person to blame in the death of Corey Haim, and that person happens to be a Hollywood mogul.
"That person needs to be exposed but unfortunately I can’t be the one to do it.
“There was a circle of older men that surrounded themselves around this group of kids. They either had their own power or connections to great power in the entertainment industry.”
Feldman has said on social media that Weinstein was not the person who molested him or Haim.
The abuse of young boys and even men in Hollywood has been described as Hollywood’s other “open secret” in the business; along with Feldman, actors Terry Crews and James Van Der Beek have tweeted about being the targets of inappropriate sexual conduct.
“I can tell you the number one problem was and is and always will be paedophilia,” Feldman told in the US.
“It’s all done under the radar. It’s the big secret. I was surrounded by them when I was 14-years-old.
"Literally. They were everywhere, like vultures.”
Van Der Beek, star of the 90s teen drama Dawson’s Creek, alleged: “I’ve had my ass grabbed by older, powerful men, I’ve had them corner me in inappropriate sexual conversation.”
For Van Der Beek, the idea to speak out felt too overwhelming.
“There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome,” he tweeted.
The Lord Of The Rings actor Elijah Wood, 36, has also denounced “vipers” in Hollywood and compared the abuse going on in the film industry to the Jimmy Savile case.
John Cusack has accused Hollywood bosses of ageism and sexism that has turned the film business into “almost like kiddie porn”.
A 2014 documentary, An Open Secret, details how men in the now infamous Digital Entertainment Network, founded by convicted sex offender Marc Collins-Rector, threw Hollywood parties where boys were raped at gunpoint, forced to partake in mandatory skinny dipping sessions and take cocaine.
Former child star Mark Egan accused a number of Hollywood figures of being involved.
Meanwhile, the film alleged that some Hollywood agents were child abusers.
Egan dropped a lawsuit months after making his allegations public.
For Feldman, he said the abuse started when his father’s assistant, a man in his 20s by the name of “Ron”, had given him a concoction of drugs and put a hand on the teenager’s thigh.
“He was my assistant, my driver, my chaperone and also basically my guardian,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
It would have been Ron who “coaxed me into trying every single drug that I ever tried”.
That night, Ron had oral sex with a “petrified” Feldman.
“Slowly, over a period of many years, I would begin to realise that many of the people I had surrounded myself with were monsters,” Feldman wrote in his book.
In an interview with in 2016, Feldman said Haim suffered more direct abuse than him; that despite molestations from several men, Haim’s was “direct rape”.
He also alleged one of the men that molested him was “still prominent in the business today”.
But the problem, for Feldman — and for many actors who remained silent over the Weinstein accusations, is that by going public with names, he faces more trouble than freedom.
Weinstein is reported to have paid off at least eight women who have accused him of sexual misconduct on the condition the women sign strict nondisclosure agreements.
Worse, reports Weinstein’s contract prevented him from being fired over sexual harassment allegations so long as he paid the costs.
It’s a familiar story for Feldman, who was slaughtered by Barbara Walters in 2013 on panel show The View for “damaging an entire industry”.
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“There are people that were the people that did this to both me and Corey [Haim] that are still working,” Feldman said at the time.
“They’re still out there, and that are some of the richest most powerful people in this business. And they do not want me saying what I am saying right now.”
Social media is now calling for Walters to apologise.
But as Ira Madison lamented in , what more will it take for justice to be served?
For Feldman, it’s already been a long journey. But perhaps the tide is turning?
He said: "If I were to go and mention anybody’s name I would be the one that would be in legal problems and I’m the one that would be sued.
“We should be talking to the district attorneys and the lawmakers in California, especially because this is where the entertainment industry is and this is a place where adults have more direct and inappropriate connection with children than probably anywhere else in the world.”
Weinstein has 'unequivocally denied' all allegations of non-consensual sex.
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