CARTER ACCUSER

Who is Shannon “Shay” Ruth?

A YOUNG autistic pop fan who suffers from cerebral palsy has lodged historic allegations against Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter.

Shannon "Shay" Ruth, 39, claims Carter raped her during a 2001 incident on his tour bus when she was a teen, but the singer denies the claims.

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Shannon 'Shay' Ruth (centre) during a press conference in December 2022Credit: The Mega Agency

Who is Shannon "Shay" Ruth?

Shannon is a resident of Clark County, Nevada, US, who filed a civil lawsuit against the singer on Thursday, December 8, 2022.

She is suing the former pop star for sexual battery, according to court docs obtained by .

During a tearful press conference streamed over Facebook while joined by her attorneys, she alleged: “The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame, and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me.

 “Even though I’m autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more than what Nick Carter did and said to me."

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"Carter tried to scare me into silence… he was nasty and threatening" and left "bruises on my arm," she continued on the Backstreet Boys singer.

Wiping her face as tears fell, she added: "I felt like I had nowhere to turn, no way to express my emotion. And I truly believe that if I'd told anyone I'd go to jail.

"I struggled with blaming myself because I got on the bus with Nick.

"My motivation with coming forward and filing this lawsuit is to stop Nick Carter from assaulting more teens and women."

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She said she "knows" other women have similar stories and her hope is to "hold Nick Carter accountable."

What has Shannon Ruth accused Nick Carter of?

According to the court docs, Shannon was invited by Nick to his tour bus after a concert in Tacoma, Washington, while waiting in an autograph line.

The docs state that Shannon was asked if she wanted a drink by Nick - she asked for apple juice, and he allegedly told her he had cranberry juice - giving her a "red-coloured drink."

Ruth said that the drink tasted wrong, which Nick called "VIP juice" but she drank it even though she was underage and didn't want to.

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She now believes it was a mix of alcohol and cranberry juice.

Nick, she claimed, took her to the bus bathroom, and ordered her to perform oral sex on him.

She claimed she was crying during the ordeal, but he kept going.

She then described how Nick took her to a bed on the bus and continued to assault her, and after the incident, she allegedly said she'd tell people about what he did.

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The docs say he threatened he'd turn people against her nor would they believe her, calling her a "r******d little bitch."

The alleged victim - a virgin at the time - per the lawsuit, claimed she contracted HPV after the incident and is seeking monetary damages for the alleged crime.

Has Nick Carter responded to the allegations?

A statement provided to The Sun by Michael Holtz, attorney for Nick Carter, read: “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue.

"Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time.

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"No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer – there is nothing to this claim whatsoever, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize.”

Nick has not made a public statement at this time.

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