Axl Rose, lead singer of Guns N’ Roses, is accused of sexual assault

Warning: This article contains explicit descriptions that may be considered sensitive

Lead singer Axl Rose, from the band Guns N’ Roses, was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court of New York, in the United States, this Wednesday (22), according to Rolling Stone.

According to the indictment, Sheila Kennedy, a former Penthouse model, says she met the Guns N’ Roses singer at a nightclub in New York in 1989, when she was 26 years old. That night, she claims to have been the victim of the attack, in the hotel room, committed by Axl Rose.

Sheila Kennedy says she went with a friend to a club that night where they knew the band members would be present. The then Penthouse model ended up meeting Axl Rose, with whom she exchanged a few words, before the singer invited her to a private party in his hotel room.

The former model says in the indictment that Axl Rose did not invite the friend who accompanied her because he considered her “not hot enough”. Sheila Kennedy apologized to her friend and accompanied Axl Rose to his hotel room, along with another model, Riki Rachtman (who has not yet commented on this accusation).

According to the indictment, Axl Rose served cocaine, champagne and other alcoholic drinks to guests in the hotel room. However, Sheila went to the bedroom’s bathroom and, when she came out, she found Axl Rose outside, who “pushed her against the wall and kissed her”.

“Kennedy thought [Axl] Rose attractive and didn’t care about this situation. She was willing to sleep with him if things progressed,” the indictment says, according to Rolling Stone.

She reportedly changed her mind when only the star, Rachtman and Kennedy were in the room and he started having sex with the other model. “Rose was aggressive in a way that seemed painful to the model.”

Kennedy further stated that Rose “was encouraging group sex,” but she was not interested and left the room with Rachtman to return to her hotel room.

Rose would have followed the two, been surprised by Kennedy’s presence in Rachtman’s room and pushed Kennedy to the floor. “While Kennedy was on the floor, Rose grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the suite and back to his room,” the lawsuit said.

The indictment further states that her knees were bleeding after scraping the carpet. When they got to his room, Rose allegedly threw Kennedy face down on the bed, grabbed her pantyhose and tied her hands behind her back. Rose then allegedly forcibly penetrated Kennedy’s anus with his penis, the suit alleged.

“Kennedy did not consent and felt powerless. She felt that she had no way out and was forced to consent. She believed Rose would attack her physically, or worse, if she said no or tried to push him away. She understood that the safest thing to do was to lie down on the bed and wait for Rose to finish the assault,” says the indictment.

Since then, Sheila Kennedy says she suffers from anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress every time she hears the name Axl Rose or a Guns N’Roses song. The former model also says that this attack compromised her career.

The legal action presented refers as reasons for the accusation to physical aggression, inflicted emotional suffering and gender-motivated violence. The indictment also asks for unspecified compensation to be determined by the court.

Published by Flávio Ismerim, with information from CNN Portugual