Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon denies sex assault claims

12 July 2018, 09:41

Simon Le Bon has denied sexually assaulting a fan, stating that the story is "simply untrue".

Shereen Hariri claimed the Duran Duran singer groped her while signing autographs at the record store where she worked in 1995.

On Facebook, she wrote that Le Bon was posing for photos when he touched her "butt cheek" and started "making his way down my butt to my genitals".

"I was shocked and completely frozen," she added, saying that she wasn't seeking compensation, just an apology.

The 47-year-old now works as a therapist in Los Angeles, and said she was "afraid of the consequences" of confronting Le Bon at the time.

"If I made a scene, I'd be in the press: The 'Girl Who Accused Simon Le Bon'. I'd probably be fired, rejected, ignored, even hated," she wrote.

She added: "I decided that time's up. I'm not holding this secret anymore. I want everyone to know what this man did to me. I hope he comes clean publicly. I hope he make amends to his wife and daughters."

Le Bon responded via a message on Duran Duran's official Facebook page, and challenged her story about the 1995 incident, at The Wherehouse music store in Los Angeles.

"The behaviour that Ms Hariri has accused me of, would have been just as inappropriate and unacceptable to me then as it is today. But the allegation is simply untrue.

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"When Ms Hariri first contacted me about her claim months ago, I proposed meeting with her in person so I could set the record straight. Instead, she has decided to pursue this publicly.

"I have always been one who can admit to my mistakes and apologize for my failings. But I cannot apologize for something I did not do."

Duran Duran's publicist and assistant Katy Krassner also defended the singer. "I was also at the in-store event in 1995," she wrote, "and I can tell you that what he is being accused of DID NOT happen.

"Simon was never out of my sight that entire day, as each of the people on the Duran Duran team were 'assigned' to a band member to help with the record signing.

"Apart from anything else, as any fan knows, these kinds of events are a whirlwind of quick handshakes and photo calls which literally last a matter of seconds. The idea that he sat there, right next to his band mates, in front of a bunch of cameras, reaching behind him to sexually assault someone that day is simply ludicrous."