Victorian police have confirmed they are investigating allegations of a historical sexual assault reported to have occurred in Melbourne in 2010.
A police spokesperson said the Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team is examining the allegation. Police did not name any individuals involved, but the investigation is understood to relate to claims made earlier this week by actor and DJ Ruby Rose on social media.
Rose publicly accused singer Katy Perry of committing a sexual assault in a Melbourne nightclub. Representatives for pop singer have strongly denied the allegation, describing it as “dangerous, reckless lies”.
“The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies. 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.” they said.
Rose made the claim on the social media platform Threads while responding to a post about Perry’s reaction to Justin Bieber’s performance at the Coachella Music Festival.
In her post, Rose alleged she was sexually assaulted by Perry at the Spice Market nightclub in Melbourne.
Rose said the incident occurred while she was resting at the venue and later explained she had previously downplayed the experience when speaking about it 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,” Rose wrote.
Responding to followers who asked for more information, Rose said the incident happened when she was in her early 20s and claimed she remained silent for many years due to the impact of trauma. She also alleged that Perry later assisted her with obtaining a US visa.
“I’m now 40. It has taken many years to say this publicly,” Rose wrote. “It just shows the impact trauma and sexual assault can have.”
Victoria Police said the investigation remains ongoing and they will not be commenting further while it is in progress.
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