Jared Leto denies sexual assault allegations in BBC documentary

<p>Four women have accused Jared Leto of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers, to which the actor and musician responded Thursday that he has "never sexually assaulted anyone". </p> <p>"I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false," Leto, 54, said in a statement to The Associated Press.</p> <p>The BBC documentary Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret, released Wednesday, details allegations including those from four women who accused the actor of sexual misconduct and assault between 2002 and 2016, when they were teenagers and Leto was an adult. </p> <p><a href="https://www.tvnz.co.nz/player/newsclip/women-detail-new-jared-leto-sexual-assault-allegations-in-bbc-documentary" target="_blank">Women give details of new allegations - Watch on TVNZ+</a></p> <p>One said she was 17 when she was sexually assaulted, while another accused Leto of statutory rape as she was also 17. One woman said she was 19 when Leto threatened her with sexual assault and another said she was 16 when Leto made sexually explicit phone calls and propositioned her.</p> <p>The BBC says it corroborated the women's accounts, which could not be independently verified by the AP. The documentary does not identify the women by their full names. The BBC said Leto did not respond to its attempts to seek comment for its documentary. The AP sent an emailed request for comment to the BBC on Thursday seeking a response to Leto's denial.</p> <p>Leto was also accused of misconduct by nine women who spoke to Air Mail for a story published last year. A representative for Leto denied those allegations at the time.</p> <p>Leto, an Oscar winner for his supporting role in Dallas Buyers Club, is also the frontman of the band Thirty Seconds to Mars. He recently starred as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe.</p>