After allegations that he raped an inebriated fan came to light online in recent days, Between The Buried And Me guitarist Dustie Waring has been the focus of a consistent whirlwind of criticism swirling on social media. Given the details outlined by an unnamed woman in the band’s official subreddit, fans and bystanders alike awaited a response from the band and Waring himself in the days that followed the initial post.
In the last 24 hours, we’ve since heard from Waring’s legal representation and his bandmates, who have opted to have a session musician stand in for the guitarist while he sits out their upcoming tour. The person we hadn’t heard from, however, was Waring himself.
Yet as it turns out, he did respond to the allegations about 18 hours ago — only he did it on the least visible and impermanent platform possible: Instagram stories.
According to his statement, which you can check out below, the guitarist said he “never acted without consent in any part of my private life or maliciously taken advantage of anyone.” Considering the allegations made against him, that’s a pretty strong refusal of the supposed events of that night several years ago.
“I have recently been made aware of allegations from 5 years ago which were posted this weekend on Reddit. I do not condone non-consensual sex and have never acted without consent in any part of my private life or maliciously taken advantage of anyone.
“These allegations have come as a complete shock, having dedicated my life to being of service to people that need help in many forms of recovery. I will therefore be taking some time to spend with my family to focus on maintaining my several years of sobriety which will include sitting out the Parallax II tour.
“With the exception of this statement, I will be dealing with this matter privately with my bandmates and discussing any future action with my lawyer in order to protect myself and my family.
“Thank you.”
It’s unclear at the moment what else will come out of this situation. As we know right now, no legal steps have been taken against Waring or the unnamed accuser. While these allegations aren’t to be taken lightly, it’s important to note that these are still allegations.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit RAINN.org for more resources.
