London’s Metropolitan Police have asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider filing charges against actor and comedian Russell Brand following a series of sexual assault allegations publicized by media reports. The move comes after a 2023 report by the Sunday Times in which four women accused Brand of sexual assault.
After initial reports, the Metropolitan police stated it had “received a number of allegations of sexual offenses in London” and elsewhere in the country. Over the weekend, authorities noted that “a man in his 40s” had been interviewed on three separate occasions in connection with the investigation, according to The Guardian. The detectives who investigated the allegations have now requested prosecutors bring charges against Brand.
“A file of evidence has now been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for their consideration,” the Metropolitan Police said.
The women who brought forward allegations against Brand claim each incident took place between 2006 and 2013. One woman, who remained anonymous, alleged that Brand raped her in 2012 at his Los Angeles home, claiming she was forced “against a wall.” Another woman accused Brand of assaulting her when she was just 16 years old.
In response to the allegations, Brand has denied any wrongdoing. He acknowledged his past as “promiscuous” but maintained that activities he engaged in were “always consensual.”
“I have received two extremely disturbing letters, or a letter and an email, one from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper, listing a litany of egregious and aggressive attacks,” Brand said when the allegations were made public. “Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks, are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.”
“When I was in the movies and as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” Brand continued. “During that time of promiscuity, the relationships that I had were absolutely always consensual.”
Following the publication of the allegations, media companies took action. The BBC and Channel 4 removed all content featuring Brand from their platforms, and YouTube demonetized his channel.
