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Jared Leto has responded to allegations of sexual misconduct from four women when they were teenagers.
Leto was accused of sexual assault, statutory rape and grooming by multiple young women in a new BBC documentary – Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret – which is currently airing on BBC iPlayer.
At the time of the alleged offenses, Leto was in his 30s and 40s, with the women claiming they were between 16 and 18-years-old.
Now, the Oscar-winning actor and Thirty Seconds To Mars frontman has responded to the claims. In a statement provided hours after the documentary aired, Leto said: “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false.”
In the documentary, 10 women came forward to accuse Leto of sexual misconduct, which reportedly took place between 2002 and 2016.
One woman claimed she was sexually assaulted in a motel bathroom when she was 17-years-old, while another alleged the star threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19 and had been unexpectedly left alone with him in a hotel room.
Leto was also accused of statutory rape with a third woman, who claimed that Leto “shrugged off” a conversation about the age of consent being 18 in California.
Another women also accused Leto of grooming her and making numerous sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16. According to BBC News, Leto eventually sent her a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to prevent her discussing their relationship. The woman said she refused to sign the contract.
Previously, Leto was also accused of sexual misconduct by nine women last year.
In a report published by Air Mail last June, multiple women accused Leto of inappropriate behaviour. The allegations dated back to the early 2000s, with one woman calling it “an open secret” that he texted sexual remarks to teenage models.
DJ Allie Teilz also shared a Facebook statement the month before the Air Mail report, writing: “Youre [sic] not really in L.A. until Jared Leto tries to force himself on you backstage… In a kilt.. And a snow hat,” she wrote. “I was assaulted and traumatised by this creep when I was 17,” she added in separate story. “He knew my age and didn’t care. What he did was predatory, terrifying and unacceptable.”
Representatives for the singer “expressly denied” the claims at the time.
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.