Harvey Weinstein hired former spies and military personnel to stop his accusers going public with allegations of sexual misconduct, a leading magazine has reported.

The private detectives are said to have used fake identities and recorded conversations to build a picture of those making the claims, according to The New Yorker.

The Holywood mogul reportedly hired Black Cube, a security firm which employs people once with the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, and the corporate intelligence giant Kroll.

The article was written by Ronan Farrow, the journalist and son of actress Mia Farrow and filmmaker Woody Allen, who reported some of the original Weinstein allegations.

His piece says two Black Cube private investigators met with Rose McGowan, the actress who would later accuse Weinstein of raping her, to obtain information.

