Charges Dropped for Man Accused of Rape at Keith Urban Concert

Police in Bristol County, Mass. say charges against Sean Murphy, the man accused of raping a 17-year-old female during a Keith Urban concert in July, have been dropped.

The Boston Globe reports that the family of the woman is on board with this decision. "Given the state of the evidence, the case had to be dismissed in the interest of justice," spokesman Gregg Miliote said.

Murphy's attorney says the sexual encounter was consensual. In the days following his client's arraignment, witnesses began to contact him to say it was not rape: “It happened in a crowd and people saw it and assumed that because it was a young man on top of a young woman, and they both got up and went in different directions after, that it may have been a sexual assault."

Charges against the 18-year-old were dismissed on Thursday (Sept. 25) in Attleborough District Court. Murphy wants to serve in the military and is hoping the accusation and night spent in jail do not affect his chances of doing so.

In the days following news of the alleged rape, Urban said he was "horrified" to learn of the charges. “My team and I were horrified to learn of the events reported in Boston this past weekend and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected,” the star wrote on his website. “This type of behavior stands in stark contrast to the spirit of our shows."