Nelly
Nelly was released without any charges, following his arrest stemming from allegations of raping a 21-year-old woman on his tour bus in the early hours of Saturday morning (7 October) in Washington Getty Images

The woman who accused Nelly of raping her on his tour bus while in Washington earlier this month, has decided to drop charges against the rapper. Karen Koehler, the woman's lawyer, revealed that her client contacted the Auburn Police Department and the King County Prosecutor's Office asking that the criminal investigation be put on hold.

"She will not testify further in a criminal proceeding against him," Koehler said in her statement. "Who will believe her? People are saying horrible things already. She cannot handle this. She is about to break."

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Koehler stated that her client regrets calling 911 "because she believes the system is going to fail her".

"We do not live in a society where a 21-year-old college student can feel safe enough to pursue criminal charges against a celebrity for an alleged rape," she wrote, adding that the detective who oversaw the case promised the woman that no one would know that she met them until the investigation was completed but then later released a statement to the press.

"One day, maybe our world will change and 30 women will not be needed to (eventually) speak out against a celebrity who has hurt them in order to be believed," Koehler continued, referencing the ongoing sexual assault investigation against Harvey Weinstein.

According to TMZ, Nelly's lawyer is now demanding a public apology from the accuser and has threatened to take legal action. Scott Rosenblum labelled the rape allegation a "reckless accusation" and "a fabrication that has caused Nelly and his family to suffer emotionally and financially".

The rapper (real name Cornell Iral Haynes Jr) shared the news on Twitter, stating: "To be absolutely clear. I have not been charged with a crime therefore no bail was required. I was released , pending further investigation."