Investigations into the lead singer of a German heavy metal band have opened in Germany following accusations by an Irish woman.
Till Lindemann, the lead singer of the heavy metal band Rammstein, has been accused of alleged sexual abuse and abuse of power against young female fans of the band. Shelby Lynn, from Northern Ireland, claims she was recruited and ‘groomed’ for sex with Lindemann.
The 24-year-old from Ballymena in Antrim, also claims her drink was spiked at a concert in Vilnius in May, and first made the claims on social media.
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She emphasised on social media she wasn’t sexually assaulted but believes she was the victim of an “organised system of funnelling girls.”
Her allegations triggered a wave of other sexual misconduct allegations against the band's frontman Lindemann, who has denied the claims.
Now, the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed it has opened proceedings against Lindemann. The investigation has been opened "following several complaints from third parties" as well as ex officio, said a spokeswoman, Karen Sommer.
The vocalist is suspected of having committed acts "in the area of sexual offenses and the supply of narcotic substances," Sommer said, adding that the prosecution cannot provide further details at this time so as not to jeopardise the investigation and not to jeopardise the rights of Lindemann and his possible victims.
Lithuanian police said last weekend that they would not further investigate Lynn’s original complaint against the singer, presumably due to a lack of evidence.
However, in Germany the controversy surrounding the popular band - which has so far rejected all allegations and called for Lindemann's presumption of innocence to be respected - has continued to grow.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Ms Lynn thanked “each and every single person involved so far in bringing this to light.”
“Till Lindemann is being investigated by the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office. Thank you each and every single person involved so far in bringing this to light, every girl brave enough to speak out, everyone’s messages of support and everyone that gave us girls a platform to be heard.”
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