PRETENDERS lead singer Chrissie Hynde has drawn criticism for her comments on women who are behaving “provocatively” risking sexual assault.

Hynde, who herself has been raped, told London’s Sunday Times: “If I’m walking around and I’m very modestly dressed and I’m keeping to myself and someone attacks me, then I’d say that’s (the attacker’s) fault.

“But if I’m being very lairy and putting it about and being provocative, then you are enticing someone who is already unhinged — don’t do that. Come on! That’s just common sense.”

The 63-year-old was being interviewed about her memoir Reckless, which includes an account of her rape by members of an Ohio motorcycle gang when she was 21, Sky News reports. The rock star was driven to an abandoned house by the men, who then forced her to perform sex acts.

In her book she writes: “Now let me assure you that, technically speaking, however you want to look at it, this was all my doing and I take full responsibility.

“You can’t f--- about with people, especially people who wear ‘I heart rape’ and ‘on you knees’ badges.”

To this day, Hynde declines to condemn the perpetrators. “They’re motorcycle guys,” she told the Times. “If you play with fire, you get burnt. It’s not any secret, is it?

“I don’t think I’m saying anything controversial.”

Sarah Green of End Violence Against Women Coalition called Hynde’s self-blaming stance “simple psychological behaviour” that helps victims to think they are able to prevent future attacks. “Victims will often have a need to tell themselves: ‘It won’t happen again because I won’t do the things that made it happen in the first place’.”

Chrissie Hynde is wrong. 100% of rapes have in fact been caused by rapists, not clothes. — Bessemer (@Bessemerband) August 30, 2015

Dear Chrissie Hynde. NOTHING ever justifies the rape or sexual assault of a woman. It's the abusers fault only. Love. A Man. — Antony Holt (@Hasselschmuck) August 30, 2015

Chrissie Hynde’s comments on rape are really disheartening. She’s really gone down in my estimations. pic.twitter.com/EvbCCUG4MC — Dylan H Morris. (@dylanhm) August 30, 2015

“Victims of sexual violence should never feel or be made to feel that they were responsible for the appalling crime they suffered — regardless of circumstances or factors which may have made them particularly vulnerable,” says Lucy Hastings, director of the charity Victim Support.

While some commenters on Twitter expressed anger, others were sympathetic to Hynde being a victim, if not to the gist of her comments.

People criticising Chrissie Hynde for her comments are overlooking that she is a victim and this is self blame. I feel v sorry for her tbh. — Stephanie (@shennners) August 30, 2015

Do I want Chrissie Hynde to realize that what she said hurts other survivors? Yes. But I'm not here for a pile on that won't fix anything. — Jenny Trout (@Jenny_Trout) August 30, 2015

Chrissie Hynde was brutally attacked 40 years ago. Let's not attack her for how she feels about it. (And yes, I disagree with her.) — Harold Itzkowitz (@HaroldItz) August 30, 2015