Victoria Police have confirmed they are investigating a historical sexual assault allegation in Melbourne, following a complaint made by actor Ruby Rose regarding US pop star Katy Perry.
Detectives from the Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team told the Herald Sun they are “investigating a historical sexual assault that occurred in Melbourne in 2010.”
“Police have been told the incident occurred at a licensed premises in Melbourne’s CBD,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said. “As the investigation remains ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”
Rose, who was born in Melbourne and rose to global fame through roles including Orange Is the New Black, confirmed in a statement posted to Threads on Tuesday night (April 14th) that she had formally reported the matter to police.
“As of this afternoon, I have finalised all my reports. This means I am no longer able to comment, repost, or talk publicly about any of those cases, or the individuals involved,” she wrote.
Earlier this week, Rose publicly alleged the incident occurred at Spice Market, writing, “Katy Perry sexually assaulted me at Spice Market nightclub in Melbourne. Who gives a s— what she thinks.”
“I was only in my early 20s. I’m now 40. It has taken almost 2 decades to say this publicly… I told the story publicly but changed it to be a ‘funny little drunk story’ because I didn’t know how else to handle it,” she continued in a series of posts.
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A former manager of the establishment confirmed the pair had been at the venue on the night of the alleged incident, but denied any knowledge of the event.
Rose also claimed that she kept the alleged incident private at the time after Perry offered to assist her in obtaining a US visa.
Perry denied the allegations via a representative, who called them “dangerous, reckless lies” and said they are “categorically false.”
