Nick Carter accused of raping underage girl during 2001 tour

Nick Carter

Singer Nick Carter is being accused of raping an underage autistic teenager during a Backstreet Boys tour more than 20 years ago. The alleged victim Shannon Ruth, who has autism and cerebral palsy, claims that the band member assaulted her on their tour bus in 2001 when she was 17 years old. She held a press conference alongside lawyers, which was livestreamed on Facebook, and appeared distraught while reading the allegations.

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The survivor, 39, says that despite being autistic and living with cerebral palsy, nothing has affected her more than the "lasting impact" from the alleged attack. A source close to Carter told media outlets, "This accusation is categorically false. Nick is focusing on his family and mourning the death of his brother."

The survivor claimed in the livestream that her last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping her. "Even though I'm autistic and am living with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me."

She further claims Nick called her a "r'''''d b'''h" before "grabbing" her and "leaving bruises" on her arm, all of which she says was an alleged attempt to "scare me into silence". Detailing why she had waited more than 20 years to bring the allegations to light, she claimed she feared she would "go to jail" after telling anyone. The alleged victim says her motivation is to stop Nick from "assaulting more teens and women" and to "hold Nick Carter accountable".

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According to legal documents, Carter is being sued for sexual battery by the woman. The alleged victim says Carter reportedly took her to a bed on their tour bus before allegedly continuing to sexually assault her. She claims as a result of the alleged incident, she contracted HPV, a sexually transmitted infection - something she is seeking monetary damages for, as per the documents.

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