Metropolitan Police to investigate allegations of ‘non-recent sexual offences’ by Russell Brand

British police announced an official investigation into sexual offence allegations against Russell Brand as the comedian posted a video decrying the ‘media’s war on free speech’.

The UK’s Metropolitan Police says it will investigate allegations of “non-recent” sexual offences following news reports about comedian Russell Brand.

Moments after the official investigation was announced, Brand returned to video streaming platform Rumble to rail against censorship and the “media’s war on free speech”.

Police said they have received a “number of allegations” in London and as well as elsewhere in Great Britain, but that no arrests have yet been made.

Brand strenuously denies the allegations, which it was revealed left ex-wife Katy Perry “sick to her stomach”.

It follows a joint investigation by the Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches in which four women accused Brand of sexual assaults and rape between 2006 and 2013 – including one who alleged he raped her in 2012.

Russell Brand at the premiere of the comedy movie "Get Him to the Greek" in 2010. Picture: AFP

Brand denies the allegations, which include those by an Australian woman, and has said his relationships were always consensual.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command, 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.”

Singer Katy Perry and ex-husband Russell Brand in happier times in 2010. Picture: Supplied

It comes as singer Katy Perry “feels sick to her stomach” following the allegations made against her ex-husband, Brand, according to OK! magazine.

Brand, 48, was married to Firework singer Katy, 38, in 2011 before he divorced her, informing the singer of his decision via text on New Year’s Eve, according to Perry.

The I Kissed a Girl hit maker is said to have been rocked by the allegations made against Brand following their brief union.

A source said: “This is an absolute nightmare for everyone and Katy feels sick to her stomach. She can’t believe she was married to someone accused of such horrible things. She fears that marrying Russell was the worst decision she ever made. Katy has moved on with her life, but her first marriage might end up haunting her to the grave. You can imagine how upsetting this has been for her,” reports OK! magazine.

Brand took to his Rumble program “Stay Free” shortly after the Met released its statement, and said that the past week had been part of a “war on free speech” that had affected him in particular.

He suggested that “legacy media” was “conspiring” to control news stories.

On Friday, he thanked his followers for their support and for “questioning the information that you’ve been presented with”.

Originally published as Metropolitan Police to investigate allegations of ‘non-recent sexual offences’ by Russell Brand