Le Bon denies groping fan as Duran Duran posed for photos
Simon Le Bon yesterday denied claims he molested a fan during a record signing in 1995.
the Duran Duran star, 59, is alleged to have molested record store worker shereen Hariri while posing for photos with his bandmates.
in claims made on Facebook, Miss Hariri, now 47, said the star grabbed her ‘ butt cheek’ and started ‘making his way down my butt’. she insisted she was ‘afraid of the consequences’ of confronting the singer after the alleged incident in Los Angeles.
she wrote: ‘simon Le Bon, lead singer of Duran Duran, sexually assaulted me at my workplace in April of 1995. it is time for me to talk about it. While cameras clicked away, i felt simon Le Bon’s left hand brashly and ridiculously move to my right butt cheek.’
she claimed: ‘i was shocked and completely frozen. i was being assaulted in the midst of that scene. i knew i had a smile still half-pasted on my face, but once the shock started to wear off a bit, my brain went into panic mode.
‘i tried to figure out what to do. should i dig my nails into some part of his body? should i run to a phone and call the police? should i scream? Hit him?
‘time slowed down and my mind raced through consequences. 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 was 24 at the time of the alleged attack, while Le Bon was 36.
Le Bon, who has been married to model Yasmin since 1985 and became a grandfather last month, strongly denied the allegations.
He said: ‘i have read the statement which Ms Hariri posted yesterday on Facebook about a record signing 23 years ago at Wherehouse in LA. 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.’
Le Bon, who became a worldwide heart-throb with 1980s hits like Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf, added: ‘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 pur- sue this publicly. i have always been one who can admit to my mistakes and apologise for my failings. But i cannot apologise for something i did not do.’
Miss Hariri, who insisted she wants only an apology from the star, said she had changed her mind about going public with her claims following the release of Donald trump’s ‘Grab them by the p****’ tape in October 2016.
she added: ‘i decided that time’s up. i’m not holding this secret any more. i want everyone to know what this man did to me.’
Last night Le Bon’s assistant Katy Krassner, who was present at the time of the alleged attack, said: ‘the idea that he sat there, right next to his bandmates, in front of a bunch of cameras, reaching behind him to sexually assault someone is simply ludicrous.’