Prominent Australian music photographer Jack Stafford accused of sexual misconduct and harassment by 60 women

A prominent photographer in the Australian music industry has admitted to being “abusive” after a group of nearly 60 women came forward with sexual misconduct and harassment claims. “That I as a man could influence a person to fake feeling comfortable or worse not notice that they were uncomfortable around me...it’s abusive,” disgraced photographer Jack Stafford wrote in an apology letter. The Sydney Morning Herald have reported that the claims came to light thanks to musician Jaguar Jonze, who posted to her Instagram account her own allegations against two music producers. In the post, the musician— also known as Deena Lynch— encouraged other people to come forward to her with their stories, offering them “a safe space to land in this sometimes terrifying industry.” Lynch— who was a contender on Eurovision: Australia decides— was then flooded with messages and last night said that 59 women had been affected by the “same man who had worked under two different names.” She also indicated there were 88 other stories that had made her “feel really sick.” “We deserve safety, we deserve respect,” Lynch wrote in her Instagram post. “This has to be stopped. For anyone who has asked to name and shame, I can’t. My hands are tied due to the defamation laws in Australia that doesn't protect our victims and voices.” But 29-year-old Jack Stafford confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that he was the anonymous photographer mentioned in Brisbane musician Lynch’s posts. Kaitlyn Wilson, who allegedly received a number of unsolicited, sexualised messages from Stafford confirmed to The West Australian that the 29-year-old was the same photographer in question. Wilson met Stafford while the pair were studying at the same university, and she shared her experiences and messages publicly in solidarity with the women who have spoken out since Lynch’s post. Wilson said that her and her female friends had a “never leave anyone alone with him” agreement “because of (how) deeply uncomfortable he made us.” “I threatened to report him to the university for his conduct,” she wrote in an Instagram post. Speaking to the West Australian, Wilson said she felt Stafford’s apology was “laced with victim blaming.” Another woman, Belle Duke, wrote that she “did a shoot with this photographer and played his inappropriate words and actions down because he was in a position of power... verbal sexual abuse is not okay.” At the handle re._stacks, Stafford’s online blogging identity, he admitted that his “personality was not okay” and posted a lengthy apology essay. In the 3000 word passage, which Stafford has not denied was his since being posted, he admitted to blurring the lines between professional and personal when he was “showing them my penis” and confessed that most of his subjects had not asked to be shot in the nude. “I abused my power. And have displayed pure misogyny in more than just my professional career but also in my personal life, with conversation and other actions to people who tried and failed to stop me. This wasn't their fault,” he wrote. “I will not return to the photography world ever. “I would also like to note I have started to begin wiping my hard drives and all dropbox folders of shoots created over my time as a photographer and that they will be permanently deleted, no ones photo will ever be misused.” Stafford recently photographed Australian acts Kate Miller Heidke, Odette and Ali Barter to name a few, and has encouraged a number of his past photography subjects to pose for nudes. “I now have come to realise that if so many people believe I am capable of either consciously or unconsciously manipulating a situation to suit me and serve in an unpure way, then I should 100% be listening to that and that they are right,” he wrote. However, he added: “I’ve never physically hurt anyone or touched anyone or anything like that, I don’t want to be put into this bracket.” While Stafford did apologise for his past trauma and behaviour, some have accused him of “gaslighting” after he questioned the reality of some of the claims made against him, and writing that it was a “history of oppression” that stopped women from flagging his behaviour. “The comfort and tone in which it was all originally received seems to have changed and I understand why,” he wrote. Later in the same letter, Stafford writes that “a history of oppression is what led to these women never in the moment letting me know how they felt...a history of oppression let them go along with the perversion of my mind, one I believe I had very little control over and covered up with the term ‘art.’” “Even this ‘apology’ now reads (to me) as gaslighting,” James Cutler wrote in response to Stafford’s apology. “You don’t get to speak for other artists, or men for that matter either,” Adam Marsh wrote. In his post, Stafford said he had lost his friends, job and home since the allegations surfaced yesterday.