A photograph appearing to show R&B singer Rihanna with a bruised and bloodied face has been leaked online. The picture of the 21-year-old is reported to have been taken after she suffered an alleged assault at the hands of her boyfriend, the R&B singer Chris Brown, earlier this month.
The picture, said to be evidence in the investigation into the assault, appeared on the American gossip site TMZ yesterday and the Los Angeles Police Department responded last night. "The Los Angeles Police Department takes seriously its duty to maintain the confidentiality of victims of domestic violence," the statement read. "The Department launched an immediate internal investigation and subsequently filed a personnel complaint. A violation of this type is considered serious misconduct, with penalties up to and including termination."
Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, is widely believed to be the woman at the centre of a police investigation into an assault that took place in Hancock Park, LA, on 8 February. The singer's boyfriend Chris Brown handed himself into police the following day and was released on $50,000 (roughly £35,000) bail. He has subsequently released a statement regarding the incident: "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired." The statement also said that many rumours regarding the incident were false.
Neither party has confirmed that Rihanna is the woman who was assaulted, however, the LA Times reported last week that it was the Umbrella singer's name on the police report. The LAPD investigation into the incident continues.