A decade and a half later, a nightclub encounter in Melbourne has triggered a formal police probe. Katy Perry is now the subject of a criminal investigation following allegations from actress Ruby Rose that the singer sexually assaulted her in 2010.
Victoria Police investigate Katy Perry through the Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT). Authorities confirmed detectives are looking into a historical sexual assault that allegedly occurred at a licensed premises in Melbourne’s Central Business District.
The 40-year-old “Orange Is the New Black” star went public with her claims on Threads on April 13. Rose said she was in her early twenties when the incident happened at the now-closed Spice Market nightclub.
In graphic detail, Rose wrote that Perry pulled her underwear aside and “rubbed her disgusting vagina on my face” while Rose rested on a friend’s lap trying to avoid the singer. Rose said she projectile vomited immediately after.
She claimed she initially told the story as a “funny little drunk story” because she did not know how else to process the trauma. Later, she said, Perry agreed to help her obtain a US visa, so she kept the incident a secret.
The pop superstar’s response has been swift and absolute. A representative for Perry told media outlets that “the allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies” .
The statement continued: “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”.
On April 14, Rose announced she had finalized all her reports with authorities. As a result, she said she is “no longer able to comment, repost, or talk publicly about any of those cases, or the individuals involved” .
She described the police request as a relief. “I can start the healing process now,” Rose wrote .
Rose also claimed she has photos and witnesses to support her allegation, adding that Perry is “welcome to sue” but will not because “it happened”.
The investigation remains active. Victoria Police have stated it would be “inappropriate to comment further” while detectives continue their work.
Rose previously acknowledged that the alleged incident may fall past Australia’s statute of limitations. But she said that was “all the more reason to try”.
For now, one of pop music’s biggest names faces a criminal probe in a foreign country. And an actress who spent nearly two decades silent is finally speaking, until police told her to stop.
