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Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter Will Not Be Prosecuted For Alleged Rape

Melissa Schuman, a former member of the pop group Dream, has said the singer raped her in 2003.

Charges will not be filed against Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter who was accused in 2017 of raping Melissa Schuman, an original member of the pop group Dream.

According to the Los Angeles Times, LA county prosecutors did not consider the merits of the allegations leveled against Carter because the statute of limitations had expired.

In a statement on her personal website, Schuman said she and her family were “aware of the likelihood that my case was not prosecutable due to the statute of limitations in California regarding rape which was modified in 2016.”

“It is unfortunate that the law isn’t fully retroactive to accommodate assaults that have happened in the past, regardless of how far back,” Schuman stated. “It gives me great solace to know that my testimony is fully documented, investigated and sealed for the future if needed by law enforcement … Speaking out was the best thing I could have ever done for myself and I hope it inspires others to do the same if it feels right to them.”

In a 2017 essay published by Schuman, the 34-year-old alleged that a small group of friends was having drinks at Carter’s apartment when he asked if she wanted to go to his office to hear some new music. While listening, the two began kissing and Carter led her into the bathroom.

“I asked him what we were doing in there. He didn’t respond and continued to kiss me,” Schuman wrote. “He then pick (sic) me up, put me on the bathroom counter and started to unbutton my pants. I told him I didn’t want to go any further. He didn’t listen. He didn’t care.”

She alleged that Carter forced oral sex on her and later pressured her to perform oral sex on him. Then he took her to a bedroom and raped her, she said.

Carter responded to the accusations with a statement saying that Schuman “never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual.”

“We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa, both personally and professionally. This is the first time that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm,” his statement read.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.