A former colleague of Plácido Domingo has become the first Spanish woman to allege sexual assault by the tenor, claiming his behaviour was so well known in the opera world that the first thing women were told was: “Don’t get in a lift with Plácido Domingo”.

Sexual harassment allegations against the Spanish singer were first reported by the Associated Press almost four years ago, and at least 20 women have so far accused Domingo of forcibly kissing, grabbing or fondling them in incidents dating back to the 1980s.