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Lena Dunham apologises for defending Girls writer accused of sexual assualt

Cape Town - Actress Lena Dunham, the creator of HBO series Girls, apologised to fans after she backed one of her show's male writers, who has been accused of sexual assault, and cast doubt on the claims.

This comes after Dunham released a statement in support of Girls writer Murray Miller who has been accused of sexual assault by actress Aurora Perrineau.

According to The Hollywood Reporter Perrineau filed a report of the alleged incident at the West Hollywood Police Department. 

Miller's lawyer told TheWrap who first reported the story that he “categorically and vehemently denies Ms. Perrineau’s outrageous claims" and his legal team has gathered evidence contradicting her claims. 

Girls showrunners Dunham and Jenni Konner defended Miller in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday. 

"During the windfall of deeply necessary accusations over the last few months in Hollywood, we have been thrilled to see so many women's voices heard and dark experiences in this industry justified. It's a hugely important time of change and, like every feminist in Hollywood and beyond, we celebrate. But during every time of change there are also incidences of the culture, in its enthusiasm and zeal, taking down the wrong targets. We believe, having worked closely with him for more than half a decade, that this is the case with Murray Miller. While our first instinct is to listen to every woman's story, our insider knowledge of Murray's situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year. It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed. We stand by Murray and this is all we'll be saying about this issue."

Dunham - who faced serious backlash over the comments - said it was the "wrong time" to make such a statement, adding: "Every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely."

See the full statement here:

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