Gay former Sesame Street actor Kevin Clash may face jail, following sexual allegations
Kevin Clash, the actor formerly behind the popular Sesame Street character, Elmo, could face jail if the second set of allegations, that he had sex with a minor, turn out to be true.
Cecil Singleton, 24, alledged in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, that he was persuaded by Mr Clash to meet for sexual encounters when he was 15-years-old, reports NY Daily News.
Mr Singleton met with NYPD detectives, and intends upon meeting the Manhattan district attorney as early as next week. Speaking at a press conference, the alleged victim said:
“I was assured they would do everything possible to prosecute,” he said with reference to the possibility of criminal charges.
However, normally, under New York State law, victims of child sexual abuse must come forward before they turn 23, and Mr Singleton turned 24 on 24 May this year.
Giving details of the two-week romance he allegedly had with Mr Clash, he said:
“[There was] groping, masturbation, and just a lot of intense kissing, touching, that kind of thing. Dry humping,” he said. “But we did not have sex and it’s imperative to note that. We did not have…sexual intercourse until years later when I was an adult.”
He said he thought they would have had full sex if they had stayed together longer:
“I just remember telling myself that he seemed to really like me and… let me spare him now because I know that I can’t do this,” he said.
“If I had to make an educated guess and say if we had stayed together we more than likely would have had sex at that age.”
“If I was seduced by anything, it was how sweet and polite he was,” Singleton said. “He courted me like you would when you’re dating someone.”
Mr Singleton went on to allege that he felt he was too young to consent to a sexual relationship at that point, and that there were victims other than himself:
“No one understands what my life was like at 15 years old — I saw myself as sophisticated and mature,” he said. “I thought my experiences made me unique and different. As an adult, I can tell you emphatically I wasn’t in any position to consent in any type of sexual relationship.”
“I was one of many. It makes me disgusted with myself that I could have been so naive,” Singleton said, adding he was victimised by other older men as a teen. “I didn’t recognise a predator.”
Last week, Sheldon Stevens, 23, accused the gay actor of having sex with him when he was a teenage boy, a charge Mr Clash denied. A day later, Stevens recanted his charge.
Upon his resignation Kevin Clash had said:
”I have loved every day of my 28 years working for this exceptional organisation. Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work [the show] is doing, and I cannot allow it to go on any longer.
“I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately.”
