Russell Brand Allegations Spark U.K. Investigation Into ‘a Number’ of Newly Reported Sexual Offenses
“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us,” U.K. police said.
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On Monday, in the wake of a number of rape allegations leveled against Russell Brand, U.K. Metropolitan Police announced they’ve launched a probe into a series of “non-recent” sexual offenses. Though the statement didn’t directly name Brand, it did reference the joint investigation by the U.K.’s The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches into the comedian, actor, and author.
“Following an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times, the Met has received a number of allegations of sexual offences in London,” the statement reads. “We have also received a number of allegations of sexual offences committed elsewhere in the country and will investigate these. The offences are all non-recent.”
In the Times piece and accompanying Dispatches documentary, both published last weekend, four women accused Brand of sexual assault between 2006 to 2013. One alleged Brand raped her at her Los Angeles home (she provided evidence to the outlets that she’d visited a rape-treatment center), while another accused Brand of forcing her to perform oral sex on him when she was just 16 years old. Two women—the aforementioned and another—claimed Brand also abused them emotionally. The investigation included texts—one of which Brand was accused of sending following an alleged assault: “I’m sorry. That was crazy and selfish. I hope you can forgive me, I know that you’re a lovely person. X”
Brand swiftly denied all of the allegations in a video posted to his YouTube account. Though he admitted to being “very, very promiscuous” during the time of the alleged assaults, he rejected the accusations that consent wasn’t established.