Tool's Maynard James Keenan denies fan's sexual assault claim

Tool and A Perfect Circle singer Maynard James Keenan has responded to an anonymous accusation of rape made against him last week. On June 22, a Twitter user with the handle @IWas17HeWas36 posted an anonymous story in which she alleges that Keenan invited the then-17-year-old to come backstage in 2000 after noticing her in the crowd at a Perfect Circle concert, when they were touring with Nine Inch Nails. In a series of tweets, the user recounts how Keenan led her back to his tour bus and sexually assaulted her, giving her HPV in the process.

Yesterday, Keenan posted a brief rebuttal, calling the accusation against him a “despicable false claim” which “does damage to the #metoo movement.”

The anonymous author stated that it was because of the #MeToo movement that she finally felt able enough to come forward with her story, adding that she nonetheless still felt too scared to use her real name. She has declined to respond to Keenan’s response, and as of yesterday said that while she would no longer be checking notifications on the account, she urges anyone who has been assaulted by Keenan to email her.