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Lily Allen says her record label failed to act after she reported sexual assault by industry figure

‘I do feel like my career has been f***ed with as a result of talking about this stuff,’ Allen said

Adam White
Friday 13 September 2019 13:08 BST
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Lily Allen has claimed that her record label did not take appropriate action after she told them she had been sexually assaulted by an industry figure with links to the company.

Speaking on The Next Episode podcast, Allen said that she told a chief executive at Warner Music Records that she had been sexually assaulted, but that she believes the man responsible still works for the company.

Allen said her assault occurred during a work trip to the Caribbean in 2016 and after she had attended a party with the industry figure.

“We got to my hotel,” she recalled. “I couldn’t find my room keys. So he was like, ‘Well, why don’t you sleep in my bed while I go and get the keys or whatever.’ So I passed out in his bed. I woke up and he was in my bed naked slapping my bum and trying to insert his penis into my private parts. I recoiled and got up out of the bed and I screamed.”

Allen said that she did not report the incident to the police, explaining: “I didn’t want to make a fuss and I wanted to keep it quiet. I remember thinking about his mum and how she would deal with the news that her son was a sexual predator and I was prioritising everybody else in this situation except for myself.”

She did, however, write about the experience in her 2018 autobiography My Thoughts Exactly, and as a result had a meeting over the incident with Max Lousada, a chief executive at Warner Music. When The Next Podcast host Miquita Oliver asked whether Warner Bros took any action as a result of Allen’s claims, Allen replied, “No.”

Allen added that she believed the man may be working with young female artists, explaining that “it’s my responsibility just to let some people know that this incident happened”.

She also claimed that her career has been “f***ed with” because she spoke about her sexual assault.

In a statement to the BBC, Warner Music said: “We take accusations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously and investigate claims that are raised with us. We’re very focused on enforcing our Code of Conduct and providing a safe and professional environment at all times.”

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