Elephant Man Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault
Dancehall Reggae Artist Denies Allegations, Warns Others to Be Careful
Elephant Man was arrested and charged with rape in Kingston, Jamaica on Monday, after a 31-year-old woman claimed the dancehall reggae artist attacked her in his home.
Elephant Man, 36, was charged with "grievous sexual assault and rape" for the alleged attack that took place at his St. Andrew home.
The dancehall artist, whose real name is born O'Neil Bryan, appeared in court Wednesday and was granted bail, which was set at $4,637.95. Elephant Man was ordered to return to court for a preliminary hearing set for May 21.
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After his release Wednesday, the dancehall artist spoke to the press (as heard in the radio clip below), insisting that he "would not let down fans" by committing such acts. He expressed hopes that the case would not negatively affect his career.
Elephant Man also offered words of caution for others who might find themselves in a similar predicament.
"If you're going to talk to a girl know what you're getting yourself into. Make sure you the people around you are real. Just always keep God on your side, and just stay out of certain things and just love certain things, and just know what you're doing," he cautioned, adding that life was too precious.
"And we're role models... this is a lesson for me," he confessed.
This is not Elephant Man's first run-in with the law in his native Jamaica. Last year, the dancehall artist was arrested for allegedly using illegal wiring to steal electricity from the Jamaica Public Service.
The artist also recently evaded a lawsuit involving a local designer, who claimed the entertainer owed him JMD $1 million.
The Kingston native began his entertainment career as part of the Scare Dem Crew, and found fame when he left the group and continued his career as a solo artist.
As a child he was reportedly nicknamed "Dumbo" due to the size of his ears. The nickname stuck when Bryan developed his stage name of Elephant Man.
Elephant Man is currently signed with Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records. His last album, "Dance & Sweep," was released in 2011.
