Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose accused of sexual assault, court filing shows

NEW YORK – Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 1989, according to a court filing reported by US media and seen by AFP on Nov 22.

In the filing, alleged victim Sheila Kennedy, an actress and model, claims that Rose, now 61, “sexually assaulted her” and that she “did not consent and felt overpowered”.

Rose, lead singer of the heavy rock band famous for albums like Appetite For Destruction, has yet to comment publicly.

Kennedy’s lawyers say in the complaint that “this action is timely pursuant to the NY Adult Survivors Act” – a New York law allowing alleged victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits past the statute of limitations. The law expires at midnight on Nov 23.

Rose attended the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix over the weekend, ahead of the complaint being lodged with a New York court.

The incident is alleged to have happened in a New York hotel room, after the pair met in a nightclub.

The civil case was submitted on Nov 22 and calls for Rose, whose real name is William Bruce Rose, to face a jury trial, and for the jury to award Kennedy “punitive damages”.

“Rose used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control and violently assault Kennedy,” the complaint claims.

Lifelong impacts

The suit follows a rape complaint against rapper Sean Combs under the Adult Survivors Act filed last week by R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura. A day after the lawsuit was filed, the parties said they had agreed to resolve the case, but did not disclose the settlement terms.

In the complaint against him, Rose is alleged to have forced anal sex on Kennedy. Kennedy’s lawyers say 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,” it reads.

“(It) had lifelong emotional, physical, psychological, and financial impacts on Kennedy’s life.”

Guns N’ Roses is best known for hits such as Welcome To The Jungle and Sweet Child O’ Mine.

The band, whose brash rock took the world by storm in the late 1980s, had been notorious for internal friction, with singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash ending their collaboration in 1993 following a show in Buenos Aires. AFP

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