Rapper’s entourage pair released after sex assault questioning

Two members of US rapper Jason Derulo’s entourage who were arrested for questioning about the alleged sexual assault of two teenagers in Cork were last night released without charge.

Gardaí said a file in relation to the matter will be forwarded to the DPP.

The men, both US nationals, one in his early 30s and the other in his early 40s, were released from the Bridewell Garda Station in the city before 9pm, having spent the day being quizzed by detectives following their early morning arrest in the city centre.

They were arrested around 5am after gardaí received reports from two women, understood to be aged 18 and 19, that they had each been sexually assaulted a short time earlier on a tour bus in the city. Derulo’s management team did not respond to media queries yesterday.

Rapper, songwriter, and dancer Derulo, 24, whose real name is Jason Joel Desrouleaux, performed at the Live at the Marquee venue in the city’s docklands on Thursday.

He was among a group of people who went to the Savoy nightclub in the city afterwards.

It is believed that the two women, who are from Co Cork, met a number of the star’s entourage at the nightclub and were invited back to the group’s tour bus, which was parked nearby.

It is understood they were among several women who were invited onto the bus.

The two women later contacted gardaí at Anglesea St to report they had been sexually assaulted on the vehicle.

Gardaí arrested two American men in the Grand Parade area just after 5am and detained them at the Bridewell Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act which allows gardaí to quiz suspects for up to 24 hours.

Gardaí seized the tour bus for a forensic examination and the two women were taken by gardaí to the sexual assault unit at the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, where they were examined.

Derulo, who it is believed was not on the bus at the time of the alleged assaults, is due to play a concert in Chantry Park in Ipswich tonight as part of his Tattoos world tour.

The artist, who has sold more than 30m singles, is due to perform in Weston-Super-Mare in north Somerset tomorrow.