Canadian singer and songwriter, Justin Bieber, has denied claims of sexually assaulting a woman in 2014. He says it is “factually impossible”.
The singer was accused by a woman who identified herself as Danielle and withheld her last name. In a Tweet dated 20 June, which has since been deleted – along with the account – Danielle claimed that she met Bieber when she was 21, and he was 20, at a music event in Austin, Texas.
According to a report in The Guardian, which said it tried unsuccessfully to contact Danielle, she claimed that on 9 March, after he performed a surprise set, Bieber invited Danielle and her friends to the Four Seasons hotel, where he took her to a separate room and assaulted her.
Justin tweeted that he would be working with authorities and twitter to “take legal action.”
He wrote: “I don’t normally address things, as I have dealt with random accusations my entire career, but after talking with my wife [Hailey Baldwin] and team, I have decided to speak up on an issue tonight.
“Rumours are rumours, but sexual abuse is something I don’t take lightly.
“I wanted to speak out right away but out of respect to so many victims who deal with these issues daily, I wanted to make sure I gathered the facts before I made any statement.
“There is no truth to this story. As her story told, I did surprise a crowd in Austin at SXSW [South by Southwest] where I appeared on stage with my then assistant side stage and sang a few songs.
“What this person did not know was that I attended that show with my then gf Selena Gomez.
“Every claim of sexual abuse should be taken very seriously and this is why my response was needed.
“I will be working with twitter and authorities to take legal action.”