Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose accused of violent sexual assault of model
22 November 2023, 19:47 | Updated: 22 November 2023, 19:49
A model has accused Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose of sexually assaulting her more than 30 years ago.
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Sheila Kennedy, a former Penthouse model, claims that Rose assaulted her in a hotel in 1989, when she was 26 and he was 27, according to a lawsuit filed in a New York court.
Ms Kennedy said that Rose, now 61, forced himself on her shortly after they had met in a nightclub,
She said that the rocker "used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control, and violently sexually assault" her.
Her lawyers said that the alleged attack caused her "severe emotional, physical, financial and psychological distress".
Warning: description of sexual assault
The filing added: "Kennedy has experienced symptoms akin to post-traumatic stress disorder whenever she hears Rose’s name or the music of Guns N’ Roses".
She has been vividly reminded of her traumatic experience other times she has had sex, the lawyers claimed.
Rose has not commented publicly.
Ms Kennedy said that Rose invited her back to the hotel after they had met that night, along with his male friend and another female model.
She said that the rock star plied her with cocaine and champagne, before pushing her against the wall and kissing her.
The filing added: "Kennedy found Rose attractive and did not mind this encounter. She was open to sleeping with him if things progressed."
But the night took a turn for the darker, the model claimed. She said she witnessed Rose have "painful" sex with the other model, before he forced himself on her.
She tried to leave, she claimed, but he dragged her back into the room.
Rose then sexually assaulted Kennedy, Kennedy’s lawyers wrote.
They added that he "made no attempt to ask for or check that Kennedy was consenting. He treated her like property used solely for his sexual pleasure. He did not use a condom."
The filing added: "Kennedy did not consent and felt overpowered. She felt she had no escape or exit and was compelled to acquiesce.
"She believed Rose would physically attack her, or worse,if she said no or attempted to push him away. She understood that the safest thing to do was to lie in bed and wait for Rose to finish assaulting her".
Guns N' Roses are one of the most successful musical acts in history, having sold over 100 million records worldwide.
