(Berlin) The Berlin public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday dismissed the investigation against the singer of Rammstein, one of the most popular metal bands in the world, suspected of having sexually assaulted groupies after concerts.
“The evaluation of the available evidence […] and the hearing of the witnesses did not establish that the defendant had non-consensual sexual intercourse with women”, writes the Berlin public prosecutor’s office, about Till Lindemann, singer and lyricist of the German-speaking group having sold the most albums in the world.
The case began at the end of May with the testimony of a 24-year-old Irish woman accusing the singer of having drugged and sexually assaulted her after a concert the same month in Lithuania.
Other young women then testified, all describing more or less the same scenario.
The groupies would have been spotted in the front rows of the concerts, filmed or photographed so that Lindemann could make his choice, before for some of them being invited backstage for parties.
Some would then have been drugged before being attacked by the singer. Currently 60 years old, Lindemann had denied it through his lawyers.
The prosecution had opened its investigation in mid-June after “several complaints filed by third parties – that is to say people who are not party to the alleged facts”.
However, explains the Berlin public prosecutor’s office, “the alleged victims have so far not addressed themselves to the authorities in charge of criminal proceedings, but only – and this even after the opening of the investigation made public – to journalists who, on their side, invoked their right to refuse to testify”.
“There was therefore no opportunity to sufficiently materialize possible charges, nor to get an idea of the credibility of the alleged victims and the plausibility of their statements in the context of interrogations”, adds -he.
He cites in particular the case of the German youtuber Kayla Shyx, in her twenties, who had recounted in a video of about thirty minutes having been approached with a friend during a concert in 2022 by an assistant from Rammstein, who had invited them to an “after party”.
“Her statements remained too vague during questioning, especially since she could not describe criminally reprehensible incidents about her own experience,” writes the prosecution.
“Other people she had mentioned could not be sufficiently identified,” he adds.
The Lithuanian authorities had for their part refused to open an investigation after the testimony of the Irish woman by whom the scandal had happened.
The Berlin public prosecutor’s office has nevertheless evaluated the documents related to this case and claims not to have found any signs of sexual offenses. “The origin of a hematoma alone does not allow us to conclude such an act”, he explains in particular.
In addition, the accusation of sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl could not be substantiated with regard to a sexual relationship with Lindemann, the prosecution continues. This witness remained anonymous and therefore could not be heard.
The investigation against the tour manager, who had been accused of bringing young women backstage at concerts, was also dropped.
The law firm representing Lindemann, Schertz Bergmann, welcomed the “quick” abandonment of the investigation, promising to take civil action against the “illegal suspicious reports” against the singer.
The allegations, which began last spring during the band’s European tour, sparked an outcry. They had provoked protest demonstrations before the group’s concerts in several countries, as well as the cancellation of after-show parties at concerts in Germany.
Rammstein is known for his spectacular performances on stage with a lot of pyrotechnics and for his taste for provocation.