Comedian and actor Russell Brand is facing criminal charges in England over rape and sexual assault allegations that span some six years. He’s seen here attending the Republican National Convention in July.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Actor and political pundit Russell Brand is facing multiple charges of rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police announced on Friday, listing charges that span more than six years.
The criminal charges were announced one and a half years after Brand was accused of sexual misconduct by four women in the fall of 2023.
Brand denied those allegations after they emerged, saying that while he had been sexually promiscuous, all of the interactions “were absolutely always consensual.”
But the women’s accounts sparked a police inquiry.
“The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers,” Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement as the charges were revealed.
Brand has not been placed under arrest, the Met tells NPR. The agency says he was interviewed and then charged via “postal requisition” — a court summons informing him of the charges.
He is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 2. NPR’s attempts to reach Brand’s representatives for a response to the charges were not returned before this story was published.
Brand is charged with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault. The police allegations range from a 1999 rape in the Bournemouth area to a woman who was sexually assaulted in the Westminster area of London between 2004 and 2005.
The formal charges do not span the entire range of allegations previously reported by the press. Investigative reports by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 had cited Brand’s accusers who alleged abuse occurred from 2006 to 2013, with some of the alleged crimes taking place in the U.S.
Brand, who has increasingly devoted his public appearances to boosting right-leaning political causes, appeared in a lengthy interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity earlier this week. According to the outlet’s summary, their discussion centered on Brand being baptized as a Christian last year and his battles with drug addiction.
Brand is 50 years old, according the police, citing records that list Feb. 4, 1975, as the actor and comedian’s birthday. That clashes with media outlets that have long reported a June 4 birthday for Brand, which would make him 49.