Russell Brand update: Police investigating number of allegations of sexual assault against presenter after rape claims
COPS are investigating a number of allegations of sexual offences involving Russell Brand after rape claims were made against the presenter.
The comedian, 48, is accused of numerous sex attacks on several women in the UK and California spanning from 2003 to 2013.
Brand has vigorously denied allegations made against him.
The Met Police has now said it has received “a number of allegations of sexual assault in London” following news reports about the comedian.
Detectives have launched an investigation into the claims after Channel 4’s Dispatches doc and The Sunday Times’ report.
Following the Met’s probe launch on Monday afternoon, Brand immediately posted to X/Twitter.
Brand asked: “Are we being silenced?” as he shared a link to a video on social media site Rumble.
The livestream named The Battle For Free Speech has some of Brand’s 1.61m followers donating money in the comments.
Officers have made it clear that all of the alleged offences are not recent.
Specialist support is now being offered to all of the women who have made claims against Brand.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said: “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.
“We understand it can feel like a difficult step to take and I want to reassure that we have a team of specialist officers available to advise and support.”
There have currently been no arrests and enquiries are continuing, say cops.
It comes just days after Brand spoke out for the first time since the allegations were made public.
In a three-minute clip to his 3.8m Instagram followers, Brand begged fans to subscribe to his Rumble video platform.
The Hollywood actor added: “I need your support now, more than ever, and more than I ever imagined I would. Please, if you can, stay free.”
The move came as YouTube stopped him earning on his channel, where he has over 6.6 million subscribers and more than 1.13 billion views.
Brand has also had shows and podcasts, including Bake Off, QI and Big Brother, taken down from BBC and Channel 4 streaming services.
His Instagram video came just hours after a woman told Sky News he allegedly ripped a hole through her tights in a cab and wouldn’t let her leave until she performed “sex acts”.
On Thursday another woman told the BBC that Brand allegedly exposed himself to her in a Los Angeles office.
She claimed he told her “I’m gonna f*** you” before laughing about it on his BBC Radio 2 show moments later.
Another told The Sun last week that Brand allegedly stalked her down the street demanding sex.
These allegations are in addition to the five women who came forward with allegations nearly two weeks ago.