Yahoo News Russell Brand: Police confirm investigation into "non-recent" allegations
This story discusses topics including rape and sexual assault.
The London Metropolitan Police has confirmed it will investigate "non-recent" sexual offence allegations relating to Russell Brand following the recent Channel 4 documentary.
On Monday (September 25), a spokesperson for the Met released a statement that, while it doesn't directly name Brand, refers to the recent Dispatches documentary that included sexual assault allegations against him (via Reuters).
The investigation is being handled by the Met's Central Specialist Crime Command division and is said to include historic claims of sexual offence against the comedian. No arrests have been made.
"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," a Met statement read.
"We have also received a number of allegations of sexual offences committed elsewhere in the country and will investigate these."
The investigation's leader, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, has encouraged anyone in the public "who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was" to contact the Met.
As per its protocol, the Met is not publicly releasing any information about the names or dates of anyone involved in these alleged incidents.
Brand has denied "very serious criminal allegations" and suggested the media and legal allegations are an attempt to silence him because he has "publicly question[ed] important stories that are agenda-led".
"[There is an] apparent concerted effort between the legacy media and the state to silence independent voices," Brand said in a video on social media.
Since the allegations were first made public in a joint report by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, Brand's stand-up comedy tour and book deal have been suspended. YouTube has also demonetised his political commentary channel.
In the Channel 4 documentary, four women came forward to accuse Brand of rape, sexual assault and abuse between 2006 and 2013. Brand denies any wrongdoing.
Brand has also faced other accusations, including an alleged incident on BBC property that was later joked about on his then-BBC Radio 2 show.
Following the transmission of this extended edition of Dispatches on Channel 4, the Metropolitan police confirmed it had received a report of a sexual offence involving Brand.
The BBC, Channel 4 and production company Banijay UK have promised their own internal reviews of the periods when Brand worked on programmes produced by Endemol in 2004 and 2005, in addition to removing content featuring him from their streaming services.
Brand has been best known for his stand-up comedy, and has starred in the hit films Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, as well as TV shows such as The Great Celebrity Bake Off and Big Brother spin-off Big Brother's Big Mouth.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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