Without a Shadow Of A Doubt: Freddie Gibbs Acquitted of Sexual Assault Charges
It’s been a grueling summer for Freddie Gibbs who in June was extradited to Austria to face charges stemming from an allegation of sexual assault made against him. Today (September 30), the news of his acquittal has fans cheering for the Shadow of a Doubt rapper, who faced a sentence of 10 years in prison if found guilty.
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The case against him stemmed from an alleged sexual assault against a woman in Vienna in July of 2015. As reported by Rolling Stone, that woman claimed her drink and that of her friend were spiked by Gibbs, whom she alleged then had sex with her. But Gibbs’s Austrian lawyer, Thomas Kralik, has stated that “there is no objective proof that Freddie Gibbs had sex with this woman,” adding “independent witnesses like the hotel receptionist and a hotel guest have stated that the women were tipsy but definitely still able to walk on their own two legs.”
Theodore Simon, Gibbs’s lawyer in the U.S., echoed the same plea of innocence he has pleaded on his client’s behalf in the past, saying “we have always maintained unconditionally and without any doubt that Freddie would be and now has been fully exonerated and completely vindicated.” His statement included his belief that “it is now self-evident [Gibbs] was wrongly accused,” and that “Freddie and his family look forward to returning to the States so he can resume his life and career.”
On social media, celebration of the news of Gibbs’s acquittal could be seen coming from many of his collaborators including Madlib, with whom the Gary, Indiana rapper released the critically acclaimed Piñata in 2014.
Gibbs has yet to make a statement on the matter, but he as returned to Twitter, sharing a message of support from Empire Records.