Users of the video sharing app Vine are likely to be familiar with Curtis Lepore, the popular contributor who boasts over 3 million followers, however a lot more people became familiar with him this week after it emerged that he is accused of raping his ex-girlfriend and fellow Vine star Jessi Smiles.

The apparent offence was first reported by TMZ, who revealed that Smiles had taken Lepore to court last year, claiming that he forced himself upon her whilst she slept. The alleged incident took place in August last year, when Smiles was visiting Lepore in Los Angeles that had started a few weeks earlier, with the pair ending their relationship at some point during the visit. The pair met through Vine and got close, sharing their first date and first kiss together with their Vine followers. Apparently, Smiles was filming a Vine video on the night of the alleged attack, when she gained concussion during filming. Curtis apparently offered to look after his ex whilst she recovered and was still in LA. When she was sleeping that same night Curtis offered to come around, it was then that he allegedly committed his attack.


The following day Smiles took to her Twitter account to write "Be careful of who you trust. Always be cautious for your safety. Be strong and don't let your guard down..."

According to the TMZ report, Lepore was arrested in October before being released on $100,000 bail. He was summoned to court to hear his charges on Tuesday, 14 January, with the story breaking later this week. Since the news of his court case emerged, Curtis has been forced to address the charges using his Vine account, asking his followers not to judge him during this time. We'll deliver more information on this story as it develops.