The young poet Amy K. Blakemore, who won the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award in both 2007 and 2008, has come forward and accused a poetry editor working for Penguin Random House of assault. The man in question is Donald Futers, who apparently assaulted Ms. Blakemore in 2015 after they met for drinks to discuss her work. Mr. Futers vehemently denies the allegations.
As The Times reports, Ms. Blakemore stated that she initially chose to keep the allegation quiet but has since felt motivated by the recent #MeToo movement to step forward. She took to Twitter on May 7 to release a statement in which she claims that Mr. Futers assaulted her and that she only her partner and a few close friends. She went on to state that she remained silent because she didn’t want to relive the traumatic incident or have her person or work reduced to it. She finished by writing: “But it has become clear in light of recent developments that this silence is no longer tenable”.
Ms. Blakemore went on to state that, after speaking with Mr. Futers’ employer, she was told to prove that he was “representing Penguin in an official capacity,” which she couldn’t.
Mr. Futers has strongly denied the allegation and has since released a statement to The Bookseller, in which he said he found the accusation extremely distressing. “The allegation has been made that I met this person on the pretext of discussing her work and assaulted her. I vehemently deny both claims.” He added: “These matters have also been addressed in a separate statement by my employer.
“To be falsely accused and to have these matters aired in public is extremely distressing. Given the circumstances and the sensitivities surrounding these issues, I have nothing further to say at this time.”
It has been reported that, earlier this week, Penguin Random House UK sent out an email to its employees stating that it “does not – and will not – tolerate any kind of inappropriate sexual behaviour.”
Rebecca Sinclair, the publisher’s communications director, has since told The Times that the company instigated a “thorough investigation’ and felt “satisfied that we have acted fairly and swiftly.”
It remains to be seen how this case will unfold, but we hope the truth is brought to light.
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