"I have never assaulted anyone, and I do not condone violence or abusive behaviour of any kind."
Singer Alex O'Connor, who makes music under the moniker Rex Orange County, has had six counts of sexual assault in the UK dropped. The allegations were made earlier this year by a woman who alleged that O'Connor attacked her in a taxi and then at her Notting Hill home.
According to The Sun, O'Connor faced the Southwark Crown Court on 10 October and pled not guilty to the charges made against him. If the charges weren't dropped, the Pluto Projector singer would have faced court again on 3 January 2023.
"The Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the evidence and decided that there is no merit, in this case, going to trial [and] not guilty verdicts were entered to all the charges," O'Connor revealed in a statement about the dropped charges.
"I have always denied these allegations and am grateful that the independent evidence has cleared me of any wrongdoing. I have never assaulted anyone, and I do not condone violence or abusive behaviour of any kind."
He added, "I would like to clarify some details around what I was accused of, as I have not been able to address this until now, and inaccuracies about the case have circulated. I was wrongly accused of touching someone one evening on their leg, neck, back, and bottom. That led to six charges of sexual assault. The only evidence against me was the individual’s account.
"However, CCTV footage obtained by the police contradicted their version of events. Their partner was also present throughout the evening in question and gave a statement to the police, which did not support the allegations against me. It’s been a difficult time for everyone involved, and I’d like to thank the people who have helped me through it as well as my family and loved ones for their continued support."
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Rex Orange County released his fourth album, WHO CARES, in March this year. The album debuted at #2 on the ARIA Charts.
Earlier this year, the singer cancelled most of his touring dates for 2022, including 17 shows across Australia, Europe and Asia.
Rex was set to perform two shows at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on the 8th and 9th of September, followed by Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre on 12 September, before closing the tour at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne for a pair of shows on the 14th and 15th of September - they would have been his first Australian shows in three years.