41 years after the fact, Sting is being accused of sexually assaulting a minor while on the road with the Police in 1979. Yahoo Entertainment reported, “The civil lawsuit, filed Wednesday (November 18th) in Arizona federal court alleges that the British singer (real name: Gordon Sumner) committed statutory rape by having sex with a 15-year-old 'Jane Doe' after meeting at a Police concert in Scottsdale on May 14th, 1979. He was 27 at the time. Sting, as well as his the Police bandmates (Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland) and the group’s tour bookers, are being sued.”
A new bill allows alleged victims to sue up to their 30th birthday — or a one-time window to file suit, which expires on December 31st, 2020. The victim reportedly told her closest friends, several family members, and several therapists about the incident, and claims to “suffer from flashbacks every time she hears a song by the Police or Sting and every time she sees an image of him.” The plaintiff also claims that she may be the inspiration for the Police's 1980 hit, “Don't Stand So Close To Me” — despite the fact that the song deals with a student's lust for an older teacher, not a predatory adult seeking out a minor.
Sting's attorney, John Rosenberg, said in a statement:
Sting has extraordinary compassion and support for any survivor of sexual assault who speaks out, but he categorically denies that this happened. Sting, who has not been served with a complaint, does not know who this person is. The first any of us heard about these allegations — from 1979 — was when we saw a press release issued by a law firm yesterday.
The same press release attempts to solicit clients for the plaintiff’s attorneys. Should this case proceed, we intend to vigorously defend it. Sting welcomes a thorough and open inquiry into this matter.
According to the complaint, Sting and the unnamed alleged victim met earlier in the day at a band meet-and-greet where she told him she was 15. After the band's performance that night, the band is said to have walked into the crowd to meet with fans where Sting invited her to a house party. While sitting together at the party, despite, once again revealing that not only was she 15 and a virgin, Sting allegedly “kissed (her), touched her breasts, and touched her genitals.”
Rather than being taken home, the alleged victim was instead brought back to the band's hotel. Yahoo went on to report: “while in Sting's hotel room, '(He) removed his pants, exposing himself' and then there was oral and vaginal penetration, which she 'did not and was not able to give free or voluntary consent to' as a minor child. After the rape in the hotel room, Sting led Plaintiff out of the hotel room and sent her home in a taxi,' according to the court papers. There, Doe went to shower and discovered she was 'bleeding' and 'was in significant amount of pain.'”
The accuser is seeking a jury trial with damages exceeding $75,000, citing “sexual assault/sexual abuse of a minor, intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault, battery, and negligence” with the Police also named as a defendant as well as the talent agency Frontier Booking International — which was founded and run by Stewart Copeland’s late-brother, Ian Copleland.
