Popular Award-Winning Producer, Songwriter ‘The Dream’ Accused Of Rape In US
According to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Ms Mangroe said the 47 years old suspect repeatedly forced her to have sex with him and on another occasion filmed both of them having sex and threatened to go public with it.
Popular songwriter and award winning producer, Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, popularly known as “The Dream” has been accused of rape and sexual violence by a former protege, Chanaaz Mangroe, who performed as Channii Monroe.
According to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Ms Mangroe said the 47 years old suspect repeatedly forced her to have sex with him and on another occasion filmed both of them having sex and threatened to go public with it.
According to the law suit, Mangroe is seeking damages for “lost wages” and for “mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress”.
Mangroe who is from the Netherlands but worked in the United States hoping to make it big as a singer and songwriter said in the 60-page lawsuit that she first met ‘The-Dream’ in 2015 who in turn promised he would make her the next Beyoncé and Rihanna.
The 33-year-old accuser alleges he “subjected” her to “violent sexual encounters” that left her bruised; forced her into drinking “excessive amounts of alcohol”; strangled her to the point she “almost lost consciousness”; forced her into having sex in a movie theater and raped her in a renovated sprinter vehicle.
Again, according to the lawsuit, Ms.Mangroe claimed that the suspect upon their first meeting requested sleeping with her as such was part of the process if she intend making it big in the industry.
She says he locked her in a dark room and “would only stop aggressively having sex with her once she said that she loved him”.
Ms Mangroe further alleged in the lawsuit that sexual encounters against her wish continued while Gesteelde-Diamant promised to make her the opening act of Beyonce’s next tour and Grammy among several other promises.
Ms Mangroe in a statement given by her legal team said choosing to speak “has been one of the most difficult decisions of my life”.
“But ultimately, what Dream did to me made it impossible to live the life I envisioned for myself and pursue my goals as a singer and songwriter.
“Ultimately, my silence has become too painful, and I realized that I need to tell my story to heal.
“I hope that doing so will also help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”
Meanwhile a representative of Mr Gesteelde-Diamant has since said the claims were “untrue and defamatory”.
“I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people realize their career goals,” the statement said.
“As someone committed to making a positive impact on my fellow artists and the world at large, I am deeply offended and saddened by these accusations.”
Mr Gesteelde-Diamant, who has written songs for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey and other top A-list artistes has won eight Grammy Awards and was nominated for the newly created category of Songwriter of the Year at the 65th Grammy Awards in February 2023.
