Samuel Henry Olusegun, or to most of the world, Seal, has been accused of sexual battery from his former neighbour, Tracey Birdsall. The Los Angeles police department has confirmed that the British singer is under investigation for these sexual battery claims made in 2016.
Birdsall said in an interview that her and Seal were neighbours that became close friends during Autumn of 2016. Birdsall states that she went over to Seal’s house to retrieve a salad spinner that she had lent him.
While in his kitchen, Seal lunged at Birdsall to forcefully kiss her. He then commented on Birdsall’s attire, belittling her and insinuating that she was looking for attention due to the way she was dressed.
After inviting her to sit on his couch with him, he belittled her again and continued to grope her once more. Birdsall states that after that ordeal she left and severed all ties with the singer.
Seal denies all accusations and has said that he will vigorously defend himself against these false accusations made. These allegations follow the month after Seal’s controversial social media post regarding hypocrisy in Hollywood about the #MeToo movement.
Seal had posted a photo of Oprah Winfrey kissing Harvey Weinstein on the cheek with a caption insinuating that Oprah had heard the rumours of the allegations against Weinstein but had done nothing about resolving the issue.
The former Hollywood producer, Weinstein is currently being investigated by the New York Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department for sexual assault claims from more than 80 different women. Weinstein denies all allegations of assault and non-consensual conduct.
Seal continues to then say that Oprah thinks she is the solution but has actually been a part of the problem the entire time. This comes after Oprah’s Golden Globe Awards speech praising the ongoing efforts to remove sexual assault and harassment across all industries.
After the backlash that his post had received Seal came back with a video to clear up any misunderstanding that might have been implied. Seal stated that he wasn’t attacking Winfrey but rather the hypocrisy in the entertainment industry itself and that he respected her achievements.
He further says that no one who has come out with these allegations has received any real justice. The position these people are in strips the accusers of any power. He also adds that simply losing your job because you raped or sexually abused someone is not punishment enough.
Birdsall has mentioned that it was Seal’s comments on social media that convinced her to speak out about what had happened between her and her previous neighbour.