Australia police investigate singer Katy Perry over actress Ruby Rose’s sexual assault allegations

SYDNEY – American pop star Katy Perry is under investigation in Australia over allegations of sexual assault made by Australian actress Ruby Rose, the police and media said on April 15.

Rose, 40, alleged in a series of widely reported but now-deleted posts on social media that the singer had assaulted her in a nightclub in Melbourne almost two decades ago.

She wrote on the platform Threads on April 13: “Katy Perry (sexually) assaulted me at Spice Market nightclub in Melbourne. I was only in my early 20s.

“I’m now 40. It has taken almost two decades to say this publicly. Though I am so grateful to have made it long enough to find my voice, it just shows how much of an impact trauma and sexual assault takes.”

Rose underscored that she had downplayed the incident, considering she also built a “connection” with Perry, 41, afterwards.

“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. Later, she agreed to help me get my US visa, so I kept it a secret. But I did tell y’all she wasn’t a good person. Instead, I got attacked by everyone,” she said.

On April 14, Rose – best known for playing inmate Stella Carlin in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is The New Black (2013 to 2019) – said she had finalised reports to the police and could therefore no longer talk publicly about the case.

In a statement to AFP, Victoria state police declined to name Perry, 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.

A representative for Perry denied the claims in a statement to entertainment industry magazine Variety.

“The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, but they are also dangerous reckless lies,” it 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.”

Rose has appeared in action movies such as John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) and xXx: Return Of Xander Cage (2017).

She then took on the titular role in the CW series Batwoman (2019 to 2022), becoming one of the first openly lesbian leads in a television superhero show. She exited after its first season.

Perry has made headlines following her relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 54. The couple started dating in 2025 and recently attended American music festival Coachella together.

Perry has a five-year-old daughter with her former fiance, English actor Orlando Bloom. AFP