Dutch student denies pig prank, says British girl made it up

A man busy with his smartphone

The Dutch student at the centre of a British tabloid newspaper hunt for allegedly playing a cruel prank on a young British woman has told the Telegraaf newspaper that the entire story has been made up.

Jesse Mateman, 21, told the Telegraaf in a written statement that there was no romance and no plan to meet in Amsterdam.

Sophie Stevenson told The Sun she and Mateman became lovers in Barcelona in the aftermath of the terrorist attack, and kept in touch by phone and social media.

The woman, 24, then forked out around €350 to meet Mateman in Amsterdam, only to be told via social media when she got here it was a prank.

‘You were pigged, it was all a joke,’ Mateman told the English woman via social media as she waited for him at her hotel. ‘He added two pig images plus a laughing face,’ The Sun reported. ‘Pulling a pig is where a guy tries to pull the fat, ugly girl. I felt sick,’ Stevenson told the paper.

While admitting he met the woman in Spain, Mateman told the Telegraaf he, his family and sister had all been threatened since the publications. ‘It is a witch hunt. The whole story has been made up,’ the paper quoted him as saying.

No romance

‘We did indeed meet in Barcelona but I have never had a romance with her. I have been in her hotel room but I did not stay over. We were not involved, as the coverage suggests,’ Mateman said.

‘I have had had no contact with her since Barcelona,’ he said and told the Telegraaf that he had no idea she was at Schiphol airport when she flew in.

He told Metro by phone that he did not know the pig game, and neither did anyone in his environment. ‘The messages contained in those tabloids are either made by Sophie or by the newspapers, because I did not send them,’ he told the Daily Mail.

Mateson has now hired Amsterdam lawyer Yehudi Moszkowicz to fight back against the story, which has gone around the world.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation