Brittany tells her story to New Zealand Woman's Weekly. Photo / Supplied
The teenage girl indecently assaulted by a prominent musician has broken her silence, saying that even police tried to dissuade her from pursuing charges against him.
In an exclusive interview in this week's New Zealand Woman's Weekly, Brittany Cancian, 17, demanded that the prominent entertainer be named. She said the
case had left her wanting justice.
Brittany, of Lower Hutt, revealed that police advised her that the musician was offering $200 to charity and told her that she should have "some compassion" towards him. "My dad went berserk about that."
Brittany told the Woman's Weekly that she had been treated like a "dog". "I felt like crap.
"I'm angry that he got name suppression. I think if he was a normal person, it would be different. I want people to know his name and I feel like the court has taken his side."
The incident has sparked a fierce debate over name suppression, after the entertainer pleaded guilty to inducing an indecent act in Wellington last March.
In the Auckland District Court last month, Judge Eddie Paul granted the musician permanent name suppression and discharged him without conviction. He said naming the entertainer would affect his record and concert ticket prices.
The musician was ordered to pay $5000 to Brittany.
Brittany was checking up on two friends who had walked down an alleyway with the musician. She found him with his pants around his lower legs.
The court heard that the musician asked Brittany and her friends to kiss his genitals, and that he forced her head to his crotch. His genitals brushed against her face.
"If it had been anyone else it would be disgusting," she told the Woman's Weekly, "but it's worse because he's famous and meant to be a role model."
Last night, the entertainer and his lawyer maintained their silence and police did not find anyone to comment on Brittany's claims.
Earlier, Brittany's mother Racheal told a newspaper that the musician was an animal. "I know where I would like to stick his records, that's for sure."
- HERALD ON SUNDAY
