London police are investigating allegations of “non-recent” sexual offenses in the U.K. after several women accused actor Russell Brand of rape and sexual assault.
“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,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement Monday. While the police statement did not mention Brand by name, The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches recently published a joint investigation into alleged assaults by the actor.
“We have also received a number of allegations of sexual offences committed elsewhere in the country and will investigate these,” the police statement continued. “The offences are all non-recent.”
The investigation by the U.K. outlets featured multiple women who accused Brand of sexual assault and rape. One said Brand forcibly shoved his penis down her throat when she was 16 years old.
Brand denied the allegations before they were released, saying on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was “promiscuous” but “the relationships” he had were “always consensual.”
In a video posted Friday on X, Brand briefly acknowledged the allegations but mostly spoke about the British government and tech platforms censoring his content.
“Obviously, it has been an extraordinary and distressing week and I thank you very much for your support and for questioning the information that you have been presented with,” Brand said in the video.
The BBC removed some of Brand’s shows from its streaming service and YouTube blocked the comedian from earning money from its platform. Tavistock Wood Management dropped Brand as a client.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy is leading the investigation into sexual crimes in the U.K.
“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,” Furphy said in a statement. “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.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
