Rain Dove, the model dating Rose McGowan, has spoken out about giving police text messages in which Asia Argento allegedly said she had sexual relations with a minor in 2013.
In an interview with Today, the 28-year-old model denied leaking the texts to TMZ saying, “I just wanted them to be a part of the legal process going forward.”
“When it became apparent that they were not going to allow for justice to occur or for the truth to be on the table, I knew I had no choice but to go forward because otherwise I would be complicit and I would be robbing another individual of their ability to be heard in their story,” Dove said.
Argento, 42, was accused by musician and actor Jimmy Bennett, 22, of having sexual relations with him when he was 17 in 2003 — which she has denied.
“I’m not anti-Asia or anti-anything,” said the gender-nonconforming model, who was introduced to Argento by McGowan shortly after the death of Anthony Bourdain in June. “I just believe Jimmy Bennett deserves to have justice and I believe that due process deserves to have it.”
Dove released an official statement on Instagram Wednesday, writing it was “important to not over glorify or sensationalise the actions of any individual who comes forward with evidence because it is the basic thing one should do.”
The model confirmed the texts released to police, writing, “While the conflict may feel murky- the situation is cut and dry. An individual admitted to sexual engagement with a minor (according to the age stated by California) which is an illegal act that can qualify as statutory rape.”
In one of the texts Argento sent to Dove, TMZ reported she allegedly wrote, “The public knows nothing, only what NYT wrote. Which is one-sided. The horny kid jumped me.”
Respective attorneys for Argento and Bennett did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Dove alleged Argento had also received “nude images” from Bennett and failed to report them.
“When the individual made it clear that they were not going to be honest about their engagement, I turned in materials that may contribute towards an honest investigation,” Dove wrote.
“All victims deserve justice. Justice can rarely exist without honesty. For many victims of sexual assault their justice may never come in the court of law due to lack of evidence or time passage,” the model continued. “It’s heartbreaking and cruel.”
A post shared by Rain Dove (@raindovemodel) on Aug 29, 2018 at 8:29am PDT
In a statement to PEOPLE earlier this month, Bennett said he initially didn’t go public with his story “because I chose to handle it in private with the person who wronged me.”
“My trauma resurfaced as she came out as a victim herself. I have not made a public statement in the past days and hours because I was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative,” he said. “I was underage when the event took place, and I tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me at the time because I was not ready to deal with the ramifications of my story becoming public.”
Earlier this month, Argento denied sexually assaulting Bennett in a statement saying she was “deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett.”
It was when Argento made her statement that it “became clear” to Dove that the actress was “not going to follow” her own ethics, Dove wrote.
“I had received the original statement from Asia before they put it out into the world, before they had admitted their sexual engagement,” Dove explained. “In it, they were dismissive of the victim, put down the integrity of the reporter Kim Severson utilizing the guilt power of the opinion of their deceased former partner Anthony Bourdain and robbed all parties of their truth.”
Dove added, “I believe that most beings have the power to change. Asia has contributed a strong voice to the #MeToo movement and encouraged many in their nation as well as around the glove to come forward with their truths. Perhaps, despite where public opinion may be over time, through honesty, dialogue and rehabilitation this person can become a strong advocate for justice again.”
As a model, Dove has worked on clothing campaigns for men and women. On Instagram, the model has been outspoken about not identifying as a woman or man.
Before working in fashion, Dove graduated from the University of California Berkeley and worked as a firefighter, according to The Cut.
Earlier this month, it was revealed Argento had reached a financial settlement with Bennett, according to a report by The New York Times.
She denied the allegations and claimed the two only had a friendship that ended last fall when Bennett “unexpectedly made an exorbitant request of money from me” following her public accusation of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein.
Argento said Bennett contacted her knowing Bourdain was “a man of great perceived wealth” and the late chef decided to handle the matter quietly before his death by suicide.
“Anthony was afraid of the possible negative publicity that such person, whom he considered dangerous, could have brought upon us. We decided to deal compassionately with Bennett’s demand for help and gave it to him,” she said. “Anthony personally undertook to help Bennett economically, upon the condition that we would no longer suffer any further intrusions in our life.”
The New York Times reported in the months after her allegations against Weinstein last October, she reached the settlement with Bennett, who played her son in 2004’s The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.
Bennett was reportedly paid $380,000 by Argento and Bourdain and as part of the settlement, he forfeited the copyright to a selfie from May 9, 2013, — which was among the documents the Times says it received — of Bennett and Argento lying in bed, according to the Times.
from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/2N6HzdO
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