It’s been more than a day since popular YouTuber and radio DJ Darryl Ian Koshy, better known as Dee Kosh, issued a public apology that addressed allegations of sexual harassment perpetrated by him. 

While some local social media personalities — many of whom are close friends with him — have made their stances on the issue known one way or another, fellow influencer and DJ Jade Rasif is publicly questioning what the 32-year-old wrote. 

On Monday night (Aug 17), Dee Kosh admitted to some of the things that have surfaced online over the last weekend. Several Instagram and Twitter users had publicly alleged that they, or their acquaintances, had been approached online and sexually harassed by Dee Kosh. 

The alleged victims were between 15 and 17 years of age at the time of the purported harassment. The police confirmed to Today that investigations have been launched against Dee Kosh. Power 98, the radio station where he hosts a segment, has also placed him “on leave”, Coconuts Singapore reported. 

‘May I ask’

In his statement, Dee Kosh apologised to “all the people who have suffered” due to his actions, saying that he has seen what he did wrong “in hindsight”. 

He accepted that it was “problematic” that he sent “cheeky and inappropriate” messages to a 15-year-old boy — messages that saw Dee Kosh asking the teen to text him while “snuggled up in bed”. The influencer affirmed, however, that he did not have sexual relations with him or with any other minor. 

In a series of Instagram Stories posts however, Jade wanted to seek out further clarifications from Dee Kosh about his statement. 

“I saw a questionable statement full of holes and want to ask what I believe to be fair questions,” the 26-year-old wrote. 

“He is free to reply,” she said, urging others not to harass him any further. 

Some of the things she publicly asked Dee Kosh (and tagged him on Instagram) to address included what he defines as a “consenting adult” as well as why he served a defamation suit to an alleged victim who spoke out. 

On Sunday (Aug 16), a law firm served a cease and desist letter to one of the first accounts that publicly accused Dee Kosh of soliciting for paid sex. 

She also asked him to shed light on some things that remain unclear, requesting him to verify some of the alleged screenshots he was said to have sent. 

‘I tried to talk privately’

In a blog post, Jade explained why she has been invested in the ongoing case — one of the teens who received the legal letter had asked her for help. 

According to Jade, she had tried to contact Dee Kosh privately about the matter. After which, she went on Instagram to look for people with similar experiences and garnered over 20 respondents willing to speak out, she said. 

Jade is now promising anonymity to anyone who messages her for help and provided various helplines and services to approach should they need it. 

ilyas@asiaone.com

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