US pop star Katy Perry is under investigation in Australia over allegations of sexual assault made by actor Ruby Rose, police said Wednesday.
Rose claimed in a series of widely reported but now-deleted social media posts that the singer raped her in a Melbourne bar over 20 years ago.
Rose, widely known for her part in the TV sitcom “Orange is the New Black,” announced on Tuesday that she had completed police reports and could no longer speak publicly about the matter.
Victoria state police declined to name Perry in a statement to AFP but said they were “investigating a historical sexual assault that occurred in Melbourne in 2010.”
“As the investigation remains ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage,” a spokesperson added.
Perry’s representative rejected the charges in a statement to Hollywood industry magazine Variety.
“The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false; they are also dangerous, reckless lies,” they said.
“Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named.”
Perry, the artist behind megahits such as “Hot n Cold,” “Roar,” and “I Kissed a Girl,” has recently made headlines for her relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
