Jared Leto accused of sexual misconduct by 4 women during their teenage years

Jared Leto has been accused of sexual offences against four women when they were teenagers.

The 54-year-old actor is the subject of a new BBC documentary, Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret, in which 10 women told how they met the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman between 2002 and 2016, and detailed his alleged predatory behaviour.

One woman claimed she was sexually assaulted in a motel bathroom when she was 17, while another accused the Dallas Buyers Club actor of threatening her with sexual assault when she was unexpectedly left alone with him in a hotel room at the age of 19.

A third alleged Leto had "shrugged off" a conversation about the age of consent being 18 in California when he had sex with her at the age of 17, and a fourth woman claimed he had groomed her, using his celebrity status to make repeated sexually-explicit phone calls to her when she was just 16, and suggested at least once that they should have sex.

The latter accuser was sent a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to prevent her from talking about their relationship, which has been seen by the BBC, but she refused to sign it.

Four other women in the documentary described receiving strange and typically very sexual phone calls from the former My So-Called Life star when they were younger, while one female recalled how her mother confronted the star after he instructed a security guard to take her backstage at a music festival, having made a lewd comment towards the then-14 year old during an autograph signing.

One alleged victim said: "This was 25 years ago… he has gotten away with it."

Documentary makers corroborated a number of the women's accounts with their friends and family who were told at the time, and also saw pictures and messages that backed up some of the stories.

Two men who worked with Thirty Seconds to Mars for years alleged staff often felt uncomfortable about the way the Kings and Queens singer interacted with teenage girls, including allegedly inviting them to his dressing room or where he was recording.

One said: "I think everyone thought the age gap was way too big."

According to the BBC, more than 120 allegations have been made online concerning the Fight Club actor's behaviour towards women.

Last year, Allie Teilz posted on social media that she had been assaulted by Leto when she was 17, prompting similar claims from others.

The Masters of the Universe star denied the allegations of nine women in an article from US media outlet Air Mail.

Despite repeated attempts to contact Leto for the BBC documentary, he has not responded to the allegations.

Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret is available on iPlayer now, and airs on BBC Three at 9pm and BBC One at 10.45pm on Wednesday (July 29).