Children, stepchildren accuse Elon Musk’s father of sexual abuse

Errol Musk, the father of tech billionaire Elon Musk, has been accused by five of his children and stepchildren of sexual abuse spanning several decades.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the earliest allegation dates to 1993, when a four-year-old stepdaughter told relatives that Errol Musk had inappropriately touched her at the family home.

The Times said the same woman later told relatives she had seen him sniffing her soiled underwear. Other relatives named in the story accused Errol Musk of abusing two daughters and a stepson.

Citing court records, social-work notes, correspondence, and interviews, the newspaper said that Errol, who has at least nine children and stepchildren and has been married to three women, “maintains a powerful grip over much of the family”.

Two investigations reportedly closed without charges; the status of a third was not made clear in the report.

Errol Musk denied the allegations, calling them “nonsense” and “false,”

“There was no evidence because this is nonsense. The reports are false,” the elder Musk added.

He accused family members who were “putting the children up to say false things” and that they were trying to extort Elon, his eldest son.

Elon did not provide a comment for the Times story.

However, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive has previously talked about having difficult relationship with Errol.

He told Rolling Stone in 2017 that his father had done “almost every evil thing you could possibly think of.”

Musk said he had gone to live with his father at age 10 while his younger siblings, Kimbal and Tosca, stayed with their mother.

“I felt sorry for my father, because my mother had all three kids. He seemed very sad and lonely by himself. So I thought, ‘I can be company,’” he said.

He added, “I didn’t really understand at the time what kind of person he was … It was not a good idea.”

Without going into specifics, he told the publication, “My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. He will plan evil.”