Russell Brand has been formally charged with rape and sexual assault, following an investigation that began in 2023.
The 50-year-old comedian faced scrutiny after multiple allegations emerged, prompted by a joint investigation conducted by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
Now, Russell has been charged with oral rape and two counts of sexual assault over a 7-year-period according to police.
© GettyThe Metropolitan Police said the charges relate to four separate women.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy from the Metropolitan Police who is leading the investigation said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
© Getty“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police. A dedicated team of investigators is available via email at CIT@met.police.uk.
“Support is also available by contacting the independent charity, Rape Crisis at 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line.”
Russell is expected to appear in court on 2 May.
Jaswant Narwal, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “We have today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Russell Brand with a number of sexual offences.
“We carefully reviewed the evidence after a police investigation into allegations made following the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary in September 2023.
“We have concluded that Russell Brand should be charged with offences including rape, sexual assault and indecent assault.”
Russell’s wife Laura Brand, with whom he shares three children, is yet to comment on the allegations.
What has Russell said in the past about the rape allegations?
The evening before the allegations were made public on Saturday 16 September Russell said in a YouTube video: “These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. As I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.
“I was always transparent about that then – almost too transparent – and I’m being transparent about it now as well. And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question: Is there another agenda at play? It feels to me like there’s a serious and concerted agenda to control these kinds of spaces and these kinds of voices.”
He added that there are “witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narratives that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct,” and that he would not share further details due to the seriousness of the allegations.