LA police probe leak of 'beaten Rihanna' photo

LOS ANGELES police are investigating how a photograph was leaked that appears to be of US singer Rihanna after she was allegedly beaten by her boyfriend Chris Brown.

The picture of a woman's bruised, scratched and swollen face appeared on the celebrity website TMZ. The site did not say how it obtained the photo, when it was taken or by whom.

Although not instantly recognisable as Rihanna due to the injuries, the woman in the picture has the same tattoo of Roman numerals on her shoulder that the star revealed at a pre-Grammys party on the night of the alleged attack. A source said the marks on the woman's forehead were consistent with the injuries Rihanna sustained.

Los Angeles Police said no images of the woman who accused singer Brown, 19, have been released. "The unauthorised release of a domestic violence photograph immediately generated an internal investigation," it said.

Brown was arrested on 8 February over the assault of a woman, believed to be Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, who is 21 today. He may face domestic violence charges.