Runaways Bassist Responds To Band Members' Denial Of Witnessing Sexual Assault

Former The Runaways bassist Jackie Fuchs has issued her first statement since last week’s shocking claims that she was raped by band manager Kim Fowley 40 years ago.

Following responses from her fellow band members including Joan Jett who denied witnessing the repeated assaults, Fuchs, better known by her stage name as Jackie Fox, addressed their statements in a Facebook post.

"If I am disappointed in one thing, it is that the story has become about who knew what when and who did or didn’t do what," Fuchs wrote.

"That isn’t the story at all. It would be nice if everyone who was there the night I was raped could talk about how it has affected them over the years. But if they don’t want to talk it about, I respect that. It’s taken me years to talk about it without shame. I can only imagine what it must have been like to have watched it happen."

While Fuchs said she was moved by the support she had received from fans following the Huffington Post piece, she was perplexed by her bandmates’ motives.

"I only wish that if my bandmates can’t remember what happened that night – or if they just remember it differently –they would stick simply to saying that."

Fuchs also made reference to singer Cherie Currie’s who alleged over the weekend that she had been "accused of a crime" by Fuchs' statement.

"By asserting that if they’d witnessed my rape, they’d have done something about it, they perpetuate the very myth I was trying to dispel when I decided to tell my story. Being a passive bystander is not a “crime.” All of us have been passive bystanders at some point in our lives."

"If we have any hope at all of putting an end to incidents like these, we need to stop doubting the accusers and start holding rapists, abusers and bullies accountable. What we don’t need to do is point fingers at those who weren’t to blame for their actions."

Read the full statement here.