Australian authorities say they have launched an investigation into a 2010 incident involving “Orange is the New Black” actress Ruby Rose. Earlier this week on social media, she accused singer Katy Perry of sexual assault.
The allegation stems from an incident Rose said occurred in a Melbourne nightclub in 2010 that Perry has since denied.
Victoria Police confirmed to CNN in a statement that officials from the Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT) are investigating Rose’s allegation stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred in Melbourne’s central business district. They declined to add any additional comment because it’s an ongoing investigation.
Perry has denied the allegations through her representative, who told CNN in a statement before the investigation was announced that Rose’s claims are “categorically false” and “dangerous reckless lies.” The representative has not replied to a request for comment on the investigation.
A representative for Rose has not returned CNN’s multiple e-mail requests for comment.
Rose first made her allegation earlier this week while replying to an article about Perry posted to social media by Complex magazine. The article was lighthearted in tone, covering Perry’s viral reaction to Justin Bieber’s set at the Coachella music festival, which she attended with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to whom she’s been romantically linked since last year.
“Katy Perry sexual assaulted me at spice market nightclub in Melbourne. Who gives a sh*t what she thinks,” Rose wrote in the now-deleted post.
CNN has reached out to a representative for Trudeau for comment.
Rose initially wrote on social media that she was “not interested” in filing a police report on the matter.
On Tuesday, she indicated she had, in fact, decided to file a police report and could no longer publicly discuss the matter.
“This is a standard request from the police and in many ways, quite the relief,” she wrote, adding, “I can start the healing process now.”
Perry released her seventh studio album “143” in 2024 before embarking upon a world tour, which ended in December.
In April 2025, Perry was among six women, including Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez Bezos, who traveled on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which sent the crew to the edge of space during a 10-minute space tourism mission.
By BBC News
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