Prosecutors have dropped a rape case against rapper Nelly after his accuser refused to co-operate.

A woman accused the star of raping her on his tour bus in October, in a suburb of Seattle.

Police arrested Nelly and the woman later said that she wanted to stop the investigation.

Prosecutors said that without the woman’s help they cannot “proceed or fully assess the merits of the case”.

Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, issued a statement saying that the star had been the victim of a “deceitful allegation devoid of credibility”.

“Nelly supports various women’s advocacy groups that deal with sexual assault, and violence against women and is dedicated to raising awareness and furthering the conversation to about bring about necessary changes.

“However this type of reckless false allegation cannot be tolerated, as it is an affront to the real survivors of sexual assault,” he said.