Sir Richard Branson says he has ‘no recollection’ of incident after singer accuses him of burying his face in her chest
The billionaire business mogul has repudiated the allegations, which are said to have taken place at his private island
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir Richard Branson says he has “no recollection” of an alleged incident after a singer accused him of inappropriate behaviour at a party on Necker Island.
Antonia Jenae, 44, claimed the billionaire Virgin boss had put his face in her cleavage after she had been invited to his Caribbean home alongside music star Joss Stone.
Ms Jenae, a backing singer, told The Sun the alleged incident happened “totally out of the blue” and that she was “shocked” by it, adding: “His behaviour was disgusting.”
She told the paper she was speaking out following the scandal that has engulfed Hollywood.
A spokeswoman for Virgin Management said Stone, members of her family and her band had been invited to Necker Island in June 2010.
She added: “Everyone appeared to enjoy their time on the island. Richard has no recollection of this matter and neither do his family and friends, who were with him on the island at the time.
“There would never have been any intention to offend or make anyone feel uncomfortable in any way and Richard apologises if anyone felt that way during their time on the island.”
Virgin also issued a statement from Stone’s father, Richard Stoker, who was on the island at the time.
In it, he said: “Joss and the group had a wonderful afternoon on Necker Island, everybody entered into the party spirit and it was wonderful getting to know Richard and his family.”
Press Association