Julian Koster, the bassist for indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel , has been accused of sexual assault and grooming. The musician has denied the claims. Anna “Nesey” Gallons, a musician who has been associated with the Elephant 6 collective of which Koster is also a part, shared the allegations in an Instagram post on 9 July.
She alleged that Koster had been “grooming” her since the age of 15, and went on to sexually assault her twice. The bassist has called the accusations a “campaign against me” and countered that he has been the “victim of intimidation, manipulation and abuse” by Gallons. “I began to communicate by telephone and correspond via email with Julian Koster routinely in early Y2K at age 15, each exchange gradually becoming more intimate, though seemingly innocent,” Gallons wrote in the post.
“He imparted the notion that our connection was like none he had ever known...
He invited me to visit him in New York, had no qualms letting me have cannabis and stare dreamily into his eyes. “Less than a year later, in April 2001, about six weeks before I turned 17, that relationship became sexual. This, by all common definitions, constitutes ‘grooming.
’” She also accused Koster of assaulting her twice in the summer of 2005. Koster denied the accusations and made a statement in response to the claims on 11 July. “This is painful and scary to share,” he wrote.
“I have been the victim of intimidation, manipulation, and abuse by Nesey Gallon.