Backstreet Boys star singer Nick Carter will not be charged over an allegation that he raped singer Melissa Schuman in 2003, The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office declined on Tuesday.
Last November, Melissa Schuman, who was formerly a member of pop group Dream, claimed Carter had raped in 2003 when the pair were working on a made-for-TV movie together.
She reported the alleged assault to police in February 2018, but, according to the DA, the statute of limitations in the case expired in 2013 and they cannot proceed with charges.
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”.
The charge evaluation worksheet stated that, because the statute of limitations had passed, “an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence is not warranted and the matter is declined”.
Following the allegations, Carter shared a statement that read, “I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual… It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm”.
In response to the District Attorney’s decision, Schuman said,‘My family and I were well 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”, she added.
> Shatabdi Sarker Poushi
