Former JLS singer Oritse Williams will face trial for an alleged rape next May, after pleading not guilty at a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court today (November 8).
Williams appeared at the court with his co-defendant Jamien Nagadhana, who has been charged with assault by penetration over the alleged incident in December 2016.
In a statement from December 2016, Wolverhampton Police confirmed the initial arrest: “West Midlands Police were called to a Wolverhampton hotel at 7.45am on Friday 2 December after an allegation of rape and sexual assault was made by a 20-year-old woman.
“A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape and a 29-year-old man arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.”
Williams has previously denied the claims, saying in a statement via his management company 10 Worlds Music: “Oritse denies the allegations against him. The matter is in the hands of the police, and it would be totally wrong for us to comment any further.”
The singer appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court today wearing a brown turtleneck jumper under a suit jacket.
Since JLS split in 2013, Williams has released a single, ‘Waterline’, under the name OWS in 2015. It featured Pusha T. He established his own entertainment company, Overthrow, and won ITV dance show Stepping Out in 2013.
JLS finished second to Alexandra Burke in the 2008 series of The X Factor. They released four albums and had five No 1 singles – ‘Beat Again’, ‘Everybody In Love’, ‘The Club Is Alive’, ‘Love You More’ and ‘She Makes Me Wanna’.