POLICE have confirmed US rapper Nelly will face no further action in the sexual assault investigation in Southend.

The rapper, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr, was accused of attacking a fan after his gig at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend on December 5, 2017.

Essex Police launched an investigation and, after interviewing the rapper in January, has told him he faces no further action.

The investigation centred on claims from the fan who said the rapper had invited her to his dressing room after the show and sexually assaulted her.

She claimed she paid to have her photo taken with the 44-year-old rapper after the concert before he took her to a separate room and sexually assaulted her.

She reportedly filed a federal lawsuit against him in the US in November last year in the rapper’s hometown, St Louis.

Nelly’s Lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, filed a response to the lawsuit, arguing that the woman should not be allowed to remain anonymous and “avoid public scrutiny”.

Last month, the Echo reported how Nelly’s accuser had slammed Essex Police for the length of time taken to investigate.

According to US website TMZ, the woman was upset that police asked to view her phone records and emails.

The complainant, who suggested she may stop co-operating with police due to her disappointment at the handling of the case, also claimed police came to her house ‘unsolicited’.

Essex Police confirmed it had received communication from a solicitor and said they would engage with both parties.

The claims first came to light in a lawsuit in the US when it was referenced in a claim from an American woman, Monique Greene, who said she was raped by the rapper on his tour bus in suburban Seattle.

Nelly had denied the allegations and filed a counter-suit both of which were settled in September last year.

Prosecutors in the States dropped a criminal case against him because Ms Greene would not testify against him.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "We received a report of a sexual assault at an address in Station Road, Westcliff on December 5, 2017.

"We carried out an investigation and voluntarily interviewed a 44 year-old man in January 2019.

"He has subsequently been told he faces no further action."