TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsDistraught Nelly accuser wants rape case dropped
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Nelly arrives at the 2013 American Music Awards Arrivals on November 24, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (shutterstock.com/Ga Fullner/File)
A
woman whose rape accusations against hip-hop star Nelly led to his arrest wants the case to be dropped, saying she felt unsafe amid the scrutiny.
The singer and rapper was arrested on October 7 in the northwestern state of Washington but was released without any charges and vehemently rejected the allegation.
A lawyer for the woman, in a weekend statement, said the accuser was asking authorities not to prosecute him and said that she would not testify further.
The lawyer, Karen Koehler, said her client could not maintain her privacy and "just cannot bear it" as "people are saying horrible things already."
"We do not live in a society where a 21-year-old college student can feel safe enough to pursue criminal charges against a celebrity for an alleged rape," Koehler said.
Read also: US rapper Nelly released pending rape investigation
"She wants to go back to school and to graduate. And this she cannot do if she remains hidden in her room, crying her heart out," the lawyer said.
The woman had accused Nelly of assault on his tour bus after a show in the Seattle suburb of Auburn.
Nelly in a statement said he was "beyond shocked" and "completely innocent," voicing confidence his name would be cleared.
The 42-year-old artist, whose real name is Cornell Haynes Jr., has won three Grammys and had numerous number one hits including "Hot in Herre."
The incident comes amid rising scrutiny of men's treatment of women in the entertainment industry, particularly with sexual harassment and assault allegations mounting against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
