Decapitated: Members of Polish metal band formally charged with rape

They were initially arrested on the 9 September 

Jack Shepherd
Friday 13 October 2017 12:14 BST
Polish death metal band Decapitated deny charges of kidnapping made against them
Polish death metal band Decapitated deny charges of kidnapping made against them

All four members of the Polish metal band Decapitated have been formally charged with rape.

The musicians — Michael Lysejko, Waclaw Kieltyka, Rafal Piotrowski and Hubert Wiecek — were initially arrested on the 9 September in Los Angeles.

They were accused of first-degree kidnapping and gang rape by a female fan who had attended their show on the 31 August in Spokane, Washington.

After being extracted to Spokane, Piotrowski and Kieltika have been charged with second-degree rape, while Lysejko and Wiecek have been charged with third-degree rape.

The band’s lawyer, Steve Graham, told the Spokane-Review: "Decapitated plan to fully fight the allegations that are brought against them, and we are fully confident that the other side of this story will be heard.”

Their accusers alleged the band gang-raped a woman on their tour bus. In court documents, the woman says that she and a friend were invited by the band to have drinks on their tour bus outside the venue after the end of the show.

After boarding the bus, she was allegedly groped by Lysejko then followed into the bathroom by lead singer Piotrowski, resisting when he began trying to undress her.

The Spokesman-Review reports that court documents say she "attempted to push Piotrowski away but he grabbed her arm and spun her around to where she was facing the sink and mirror in the bathroom", after which the band members took turns raping her.

All four men have denied the accusations. They claim they have witnesses who can testify to the woman entering the tour bus of her own free will and they “left on good terms”.

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