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Steven Seagal denies fresh sexual assault allegation by James Bond actress Rachel Grant amid police investigation

Steven Seagal is known for action roles including Under Siege and Flight of Fury: Getty Images
Steven Seagal is known for action roles including Under Siege and Flight of Fury: Getty Images

Hollywood actor Steven Seagal has denied a fresh sexual assault allegation made against him by a former James Bond actress.

Rachel Grant, best known for her supporting role in Die Another Day alongside Pierce Brosnan, told the BBC Mr Seagal pinned her down on a bed and asked her if she wanted to "see [his] private parts".

The alleged assault is said to have taken place in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2002.

She said: "Somehow he managed to force my top down so I was exposed on top.

The Bond actress claims the assault took place in 2002 (PA)
The Bond actress claims the assault took place in 2002 (PA)

"I was extremely embarrassed and somehow he managed to get me sat on the bed.

"I remember him saying, 'Maybe you want to see my private parts?' Or 'I suppose you want to see my private parts?'

"He was undoing his zip...his flies...and I just burst into tears - I couldn't take it anymore...And he stopped."

Seagal is already being investigated over an allegation of sexual assault said to have taken place in 2005, the Los Angeles Police Department has said.

The action movie star, 65, has faced allegations of sexual harassment under the increased scrutiny on Hollywood since the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke.

On Friday a spokeswoman for the police force said a complaint is being handled by the Robbery-Homicide Division but offered no more information.

"All we can do is confirm that there's an open investigation from 2005," she said, adding it is an allegation of sexual assault.

In recent months, Seagal has been accused of sexual harassment by actresses Julianna Margulies and Portia de Rossi.

De Rossi claimed that during a final audition for a Seagal movie in his office, he unzipped his leather trousers in front of her as he discussed off-screen chemistry.

"I ran out and called my agent. Unfazed, she replied, 'Well, I didn't know if he was your type'," de Rossi wrote online.

The Good Wife star Margulies claimed she was 23 when she went to Seagal's hotel room under the pretences of a casting, but when she arrived he was alone.

She managed to flee "unscathed" after "I sort of screamed my way out", she told radio station Sirius XM.

Their claims led actress Jenny McCarthy to renew her allegation that she was sexually harassed by Seagal during an audition for Under Siege 2 in 1995.

McCarthy alleged Seagal asked her to remove her clothes despite no nudity being required for the role.

A spokesman for Mr Seagal said: "Our client denies having such contact with Ms Grant and further vehemently denies any alleged assault at all.

"In particular, [he denies] the alleged assault occurring in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2002."

Additional reporting by the Press Association