A family doctor from upstate New York who branded women on the hip with the initials of a cult leader has given an interview defending the practice and insisting that “nobody was harmed”. Danielle Roberts, 39, an osteopath, branded female followers of Keith Raniere at her home in Albany using a cauterising pen. The procedure, performed without anaesthetic, was later described by one participant as “the most painful thing I have ever experienced”. SponsoredFormer followers of Raniere gave evidence at his trial in 2019 alleging that they felt coerced to submit to the branding as part of their initiation into a secret sorority that was supposed to support female empowerment. Raniere, 60, was convicted of racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labour and fraud.

Source: The Times February 25, 2021 09:00 UTC