5 hours ago
9
The actor and singer Jared Leto has been accused in a BBC documentary of criminal sexual conduct by four women, with the alleged offences taking place when the women were teenagers.
The incidents reported by the BBC are alleged to have taken place between 2002 and 2016, when the actor was in his 30s and 40s. He is now 54.
One of the women alleges that the Oscar winner assaulted her in a motel bathroom when she was 17. Another alleges that he threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19 and had been unexpectedly left alone with him in a hotel room.
A third alleges she had sex with Leto in California when she was 17, which would be classified as statutory rape. She claims the actor “shrugged off” a conversation about the age of consent being 18 in the state.
A fourth woman alleges that Leto made repeated sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16, and on at least one occasion suggested they should have sex. She was subsequently sent a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to prevent her from talking about her relationship with Leto, which the BBC said it had seen. The woman refused to sign the NDA.
Despite repeated attempts to contact him, the BBC said Leto had not responded to the allegations put to him.
Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret is released on Wednesday. It features a total of 10 women alleging the actor and musician behaved in a sexually inappropriate way towards them, with nine of them sharing their stories publicly for the first time, the BBC said.
The broadcaster said it had corroborated “a number of the women’s accounts with friends and family who were told about the encounters with Leto at the time”. In some cases, it said it had also seen pictures and messages that “support the women’s accounts”.
The documentary also features two accounts from individuals who worked with Leto’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, who say staff felt uncomfortable about his conduct. They allege that he would sometimes invite teenage girls backstage to his dressing room or to the house where he was recording.
Leto has been a prominent actor since the 1990s, with Fight Club, The Thin Red Line and Girl, Interrupted among his early major film roles.
He won an Oscar for his role in Dallas Buyers Club and has also appeared in hit films such as Suicide Squad, Blade Runner 2049 and, most recently, Masters of the Universe.
Thirty Seconds to Mars were formed in 1998 and are known for tracks such as The Kill, Kings and Queens and This Is War. The group are now touring Europe, and are to perform in London and Manchester next year.
Last year, the American DJ Allie Teilz alleged on social media that Leto assaulted her when she was 17. In a separate report in Air Mail, nine women accused Leto of engaging in inappropriate behaviour over the years. He denied the allegations.
-
Support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
