Ron rape accuser’s TV offers
CRISTIANO Ronaldo’s rape accuser is ready to tell her story on TV.
American teacher Kathryn Mayorga, 34, could answer “limited questions” about her ordeal as early as this week, a source close to her legal team confirmed.
The source said: “She is under constant siege from the world’s media and is ready to go public once and once only in the hope she’ll be left alone.
“Kathryn has also been inspired by support from the #MeToo movement.
“She has been inundated with requests from every US network and will carefully select where, when and with whom she sits down and talks.”
Ms Mayorga’s lead attorney Leslie Stovall has also warned he may release “batches of evidence” in response to Juventus star Ronaldo’s fervent denials of his client’s claims.
She stated the football superstar attacked her in a £26,000-a-night hotel suite in Las Vegas in 2009, when he was still a Manchester United player.
She says he later paid her off with around £286,000 in a secret “hush money” deal – but she is now pursuing a civil case. At the same time, Las Vegas Police have re-opened a criminal case.
The legal source said: “She will no longer be silenced. The criminal case is well within the statute of limitations for rape because she reported it to law enforcement at the time.
“Within certain legal limits, she will be free to tell her story on TV and let viewers decide.”
Ms Mayorga’s civil lawsuit against him is seeking damages to cover the posttraumatic stress disorder she says she has suffered since allegedly being raped by Ronaldo, 33, at the Las Vegas Palms Hotel and Casino.
Her lawyer Mr Stovall said: “Nine years ago, she believed staying silent was the best option. Now, as hard as it is, she is speaking up because she believes the world is ready to listen.”