JLS singer Oritsé Williams steps down from charity work as police investigate rape allegations
The singer who rose to fame on The X Factor was an ambassador for the MS Society and Nordoff Robbins
JLS star Oritsé Williams has stepped down from his ambassador roles at the MS Society and music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins as police investigate rape allegations against him.
West Midlands Police are looking into a report made on December 2, in which a fan alleged he raped her in his hotel following solo gig at a Wolverhampton nightclub.
Speaking to The Mirror, the 30-year-old said: "It is with great sadness that I am announcing I am stepping back from my charity work with immediate effect.
"This work has always been a big motivation for me and is something close to my heart.
"This has not been an easy decision for me.
"Unfortunately there has been a lot of speculation over the weekend regarding events on 2nd December.
"Press speculation is likely to be unhelpful to the charities I work with, and the decision I have taken is with their best interests in mind."
The JLS singer who found fame on The X Factor in 2008 continued: "I would ask that everyone avoids further speculation and respect the privacy of everyone involved and their families at this time and allow the police to continue their work without further distraction."
A spokesperson for Nordoff Robbins refused to comment.
The singer’s mother Sonia suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and he became her carer at the age of 12, which later inspired him to act as an ambassador for the charity.
Oritsé was been arrested and quizzed by police after a fan said he raped her.
The girl, a waitress aged 20, claims she met the star — who shot to fame on X Factor — at the Gorgeous club in Wolverhampton after his gig there.
The woman told police she and a friend were invited back to a hotel by Oritsé, 30, who has sold more than ten million records with boyband JLS.
The pals were drinking with the singer and a man he was with at the hotel.
They had gone there after Williams’ gig at the Gorgeous Nightclub in Wolverhampton.
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A source said: “The girl and her friend are both massive JLS and Oritsé fans.
“Apparently Oritsé wasn’t drinking at the club.
“They agreed to go back to his hotel with him and a friend he was with.
“The club was open until 6am. The girls were both drinking there.
“They eventually left the room but once outside they realised they had left behind coats and, more importantly, a handbag with a purse in it containing their taxi money to get home.
“One of the girls knocked on the door saying she wanted to retrieve her stuff and was let back in.
“It’s then she says she was raped.
“Police were called to the hotel shortly afterwards to a report of rape and Williams was arrested there.”
Cops confirmed they are probing the alleged assault which is claimed to have taken place in the early hours of December 2.
On Sunday, Oritsé's management 10 Worlds Music UK said: "Oritsé denies the allegations against him."
Oritsé’s gig that night was part of a tour to promote his remixed 2015 solo Waterline album and the star performed in a 3am slot.