Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

The controversial comedian has been charged with rape and sexual assault, following an investigation first launched in late 2023.

Russell Brand has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police has said.

Detectives began investigating Brand in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations, which followed reporting by the UK’s Channel 4’s Dispatches program and newspaper The Sunday Times.

Now the comedian and actor, 50, has been charged with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault, reports The Sun.

The Metropolitan Police said the charges relate to four separate women between 1999 and 2005.

Brand has denied the charges and said on Friday that while he was once “a fool, sex addict and an imbecile,” he was “never a rapist”.

Brand has been charged with rape and sexual assault. Picture: Alo Ceballos/FilmMagic

He is charged with the rape of a woman in 1999 in the Bournemouth area and the oral rape and sexual assault of a woman in 2004 in the Westminster area of London.

He has also been charged with indecently assaulting a woman in 2001 and sexually assaulting another woman between 2004 and 2005 – both offences are alleged to have taken place in Westminster, London.

Brand is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in central London, on May 2. However, it’s thought he could be in the US.

He has previously denied the allegations made against him. Picture: Twitter/X

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.

“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.”

Jaswant Narwal, of the Crown Prosecution Service, 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.

“These relate to reported non-recent offences between 1999 and 2005, involving four women.

“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone that criminal proceedings are active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial.”

Brand: ‘I was never a rapist’

In a video statement to Instagram, Brand said he looked forward to fighting the charges in court.

“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was a rapist.

“I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.

“I’m now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I’m incredibly grateful for that,” he added.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault