LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — L.A. County prosecutors announced they do not intend to file charges against Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter after he was accused of raping a woman in 2003.
According to the Los Angeles Times, prosecutors declined to prosecute the case as the statute of limitations for the alleged crime had expired in 2013 and said they did not consider the merits of the case.
The allegations against Carter surfaced earlier this year, as part of a wave of accusations sparked by the #MeToo movement. In a blog post, Melissa Schuman, a former member of the band Dream, alleged that Carter in 2003 had forced her into a bathroom, forced to her perform oral sex and then raped her.
In February, Schuman filed a report with the Santa Monica Police Department over the incident as well.
Carter has denied the allegations against him, stating that any sexual acts he engaged in with Schuman were consensual.
“I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual,” he told the Times.
In a statement released after the prosecutor declined to pursue the case, Schuman said she understood the reasoning behind the decision.
“My family and I were well aware of the likelihood that my case was not prosecutable due to the statute of limitations in California regarding rape, which was modified in 2016. It is unfortunate that the law isn’t fully retroactive to accommodate assaults that have happened in the past, regardless of how far back.”
“It gives me great solace to know that my testimony is fully documented, investigated and sealed for the future if needed by law enforcement. I gave my statement, as did the other witnesses. Speaking out was the best thing I could have ever done for myself and I hope it inspires others to do the same if it feels right for them.”
