I fear retaliation, says Kavanaugh’s accuser

THE woman who accused Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault yesterday came forward to identify herself, saying she “thought he might inadvertently kill me”.

Christine Blasey Ford, now a high-ranking research psychologist, initially wrote a letter to a senior Democrat detailing the circumstances of an alleged attack carried out by Brett Kavanaugh, the US president’s choice for Supreme Court judge, who is just days from being confirmed in the post.

She claims that Mr Kavanaugh pinned her down on a bed at a high school party when she was 15 and he was 17. Ms Ford claims that he was “stumbling drunk” and tried to remove her clothes. When she tried to scream, she alleges he put his hand over her mouth as his friend watched.

She claims she escaped from under him when his friend jumped on top of the bed and all three fell to the floor.

Ms Ford, now 51, works at Palo Alto University in California. Yesterday, she gave her first on-the-record account to ‘The Washington Post’.

“I think it derailed me substantially for four or five years,” Ms Ford said of the alleged incident which she described as a “rape attempt” during a therapy session in 2012. She had grappled with her sense of duty for weeks over whether to come forward and identify herself, aware she may face a backlash and was unlikely to derail his nomination.

Earlier this week, Mr Kavanaugh strenuously denied her accusations. (© Daily Telegraph, London)