HollyMatkinSt. Louis rapper Nelly is under investigation in England, after a woman reported that she was sexually assaulted by the celebrity, police said.
The investigation came just months after Nelly, whose actual name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., was arrested by police in Auburn, Washington, on a separate sexual assault allegation, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The alleged victim in the Washington incident, 21-year-old Monica Greene, said that Nelly invited her to attend a party on his tour bus following his performance on Oct. 7, 2017, NPR reported.
Greene said that she went with the rapper and his entourage, but that he pulled her into his bedroom once they arrived at the bus.
Nelly then allegedly began masturbating in front of her, and raped her when she “refused to consent,” court documents said, according to NPR.
Greene said that after the assault, she screamed at Nelly to let her leave, and claimed she was ultimately thrown off of the bus by him and his entourage.
He threw $100 at her as she stood in the parking lot, she said.
Nelly vehemently denied Greene’s allegations.
On Oct. 13, Greene told prosecutors that she did not want to cooperate with the criminal case, because “she felt she could not stand up against a celebrity and that the criminal system would fail her,” NPR reported.
Greene filed a civil lawsuit against the three-time Grammy winner in the Superior Court of King County, Washington, on Jan. 22, which included testimony from two anonymous women who Nelly allegedly sexually assaulted in separate incidents while in England.
In the lawsuit, “Jane Doe No. 1,” who is married and has children, said that she was stationed in the United Kingdom while she was serving in the U.S. military in June of 2016.
The woman explained that Nelly invited her and a friend to attend a backstage gathering after his show. As the party progressed, the woman alleged that Nelly grabbed her leg, and that he put his hand under her dress.
She said that she removed his hand and attempted to leave, but that Nelly argued with her and tried to stop her.
The lawsuit also recounted the allegations of “Jane Doe No. 2,” a mother of three, who is also a victim in the ongoing Essex criminal investigation.
She said that when she asked to take a photo with Nelly after his show on Dec. 5, 2017, the rapper invited her to his dressing room, but his security would not allow her friends to come with her.
The woman said that once she was alone with Nelly, he dropped his pants, and began to masturbate in front of her.
He then tried to pull off her shirt and to kiss her as she tried to leave, she said.
Nelly allegedly grabbed the woman’s hand and placed it on his penis, then “made a fist” when she refused him yet again.
The woman said she asked him if he was going to hit her, and that he responded, “No, I’m just frustrated, I’m not used to not getting my way, just do it,” NPR reported.
The woman said he then forced her to the ground and shoved his penis into her mouth. She was able to dodge out of his reach, and fled from the room as he called her a “c**t,” she said.
Jane Doe No. 2 said she did not initially report the assault because she did not think anyone would believe her, NPR reported.
“We are investigating after a woman reported to us that she was sexually assaulted at an address in Westcliff on December 5, 2017,” an Essex police spokesperson told the Mirror. “Enquiries are ongoing.”
“Nelly was accompanied by his girlfriend during this tour and she was at his side throughout,” Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, told the Mirror. “It is important that police investigate every allegation of this nature.”
Rosenblum said that Nelly “welcomes a thorough investigation,” and that he was “confident that once investigated, these claims will be determined to be disingenuous.”