After French authorities expressed their doubts about the recent rape allegations against Chris Brown, the accuser's attorney has attempted to clarify key points of his client's claims.
Attorney Franck Serfati told the Associated Press that the alleged victim "was not pressured physically" to have sex with Brown on the night of Jan. 15; however, he insists the sexual encounter was non-consensual. The attorney claimed his 23-year-old client was under "great psychological pressure" that night, as she was surrounded by "older men, men who you imagine to be buff."
"There were forced sexual relations [...] It was a masculine environment," Serfati said Thursday. "My client explains that it was non-consensual sex. She was not pressured physically. This was a very particular environment with great psychological pressure."
Brown's accuser claims she was sexually assaulted by Brown, as well as two other men inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Paris. She said she and a group of other women were invited to the artist's suite after they had returned from partying at Le Crystal nightclub. The woman said she witnessed cocaine use inside the hotel room, and was forced to consume a small amount of the drug.
The alleged victim claimed that at one point during the night, Brown had grabbed her arm and led her into a hotel dressing room. She said he proceeded to assault her for for 25-30 minutes. She also accused two other men—Brown's bodyguard and his friend—of sexually assaulting her on different floor of the hotel room shortly after Brown had allegedly raped her.
The singer and his bodyguard were detained in Paris on Wednesday on suspicion of aggravated rape and drug infractions. He was released on Wednesday without receiving any formal charges. Authorities say the case is still open, but Brown is free to leave the country.
Hours after his release, Brown denied the rape allegations on social media. His French attorney Raphael Chiche confirmed the artist has filed a defamation complaint against the accuser.
