The four members of the Polish death metal band DECAPITATED have issued a statement in response to their having been formally charged with rape in Spokane County, Washington. The four had already been charged with kidnapping in the first degree. The group says: "We'd like to emphasize; the Spokane Police Department has pressed charges as procedural formality, without doing so, they would be forced to release band. This is not a conviction or any indication of guilt or innocence. "Once again, we ask that everyone wait for each party's case to be presented and await the court's decision. With that said, whilst cases are being prepared on both sides, some facts are indisputable at this point — that the original officer who took the complaint from the accuser stated, 'I do not have probable cause that a rape occurred,' and it's taken a full thirty days to file charges, which is right up against the point at which the defendants would legally have had to be released. "The band firmly refutes the allegations and are confident that once the facts and evidence have been seen and heard, they will be released and able to return home. "Individuals who were present on the night in question with information about the case are asked to reach out to the defense lawyer, Steve Graham of Spokane, Washington." According to The Spokesman-Review, the rape charges vary between the four, from second degree for 31-year-old singer Rafal Piotrowski and 35-year-old guitarist Waclaw Kieltyka, to third degree for 27-year-old drummer Michal Lysejko and 30-year-old bassist Hubert Wiecek. The woman alleged she was gang-raped by the musicians in their tour bus bathroom after DECAPITATED's August 31 concert with THY ART IS MURDER at The Pin concert venue in downtown Spokane as part of the two bands' "Double Homicide" tour. The woman said entered the bus for drinks with the band before each member forced themselves on her. Deputies later stated the victim had "significant bruising to her upper arms consistent with being restrained" and "small abrasions on her knuckles that were scabbed over." All four members of DECAPITATED were arrested on September 9 in Santa Ana, California after performing at the Observatory. They were held in Los Angeles County Jail before being extradited to Spokane. Graham told The Spokesman-Review that there is "another side to this." "We have witnesses that can testify to the fact that the accuser came to visit the band of her own free will and left on good terms," he said. "The accuser has a documented history of providing false information to the police dating back to 2014." DECAPITATED announced last month that it was canceling all previously announced tour dates. The band also publicly denied the accusations.
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