A previous accuser of Marilyn Manson, Ashley Morgan Smithline, has declared in a fresh legal submission that his ex-girlfriend, Evan Rachel Wood, and others pressured her into lying about being raped.
Marilyn Manson’s Accuser Retracts Her Rape Claims
Accusations had been made against Manson, aged 54, that he had taken part in a forceful rape of Ashley, whilst holding a knife decorated with a swastika and pushing his hand into her mouth during sexual activities.
She then went on to file a lawsuit, but it was thrown out when she was unable to secure fresh legal representation. And now it seems she is looking to distance herself from this completely.
In her comments, she said: “I succumbed to pressure from Evan Rachel Wood and her associates to make accusations of rape and assault against [Manson] that were not true.”
If those comments are taken to be true, then it is significant for the following reasons. First of all, there are question marks over whether or not Ashley should be held accountable for this since Manson had been impacted by the claims.
Secondly, others argued that Ashley’s words damaged those who were real victims in cases such as this. And this was reflected in the comments that followed on social media.
One person wrote: “What is going on — this is the kind of thing that makes women who really suffered get ignored — because there are women making entirely false claims.”
While another person stated: “Caught in a lie, made money and 15 minutes of fame. Now backtracking and blaming someone else just to try and make more money, get more attention and try to stay relevant. Such a sad life.”
The only thing left to do is let the legal authorities deal with the matter and come to a conclusion based on the evidence. So there you have it folks. What did you think about this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
