Jan 12, 2009 11:00 pm US/Pacific
Oscar-Winning Song Writer Accused Of Sex Assaults
NEW YORK (AP) ―
-
-
Police say four women have filed a criminal complaint accusing a New York song writer and director of sexual assault.
AP
At least four women have accused the Academy Award-winning songwriter of "You Light Up My Life" of luring them to his home and sexually assaulting them while they auditioned for movie roles, police said.
Police are investigating whether director Joseph Brooks, who won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the 1977 Debby Boone ballad, advertised upcoming film roles on Internet postings as a ploy to assault women.
When a woman responded to an audition call, the 70-year-old Brooks would tell her she'd be playing a prostitute and would have her drink shots and perform sex acts on him, police said. Some women also believe they might have been drugged, police said.
At least four incidents are alleged to have happened in March and May 2008, police spokesman John Sweeney said. One woman told authorities she had sex with Brooks after drinking wine with him, Sweeney said.
A woman from Seattle said she responded to an ad and after she arrived in New York, Brooks demanded she have sex with him, Sweeney said.
Another woman told police Brooks sodomized her, Sweeney said.
Brooks hasn't been charged, Sweeney said.
Telephone calls to Brooks' attorney, Jeff Hoffman, weren't immediately returned Monday. There was no telephone listing for Brooks at the Manhattan home address provided by police.
Brooks also wrote and directed the romantic comedy "You Light Up My Life," for which the song was composed. The movie stars Didi Conn as Laurie Robinson, a comedian who dreams of being an actress and has a one-night stand with a director.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
