Comedian Russell Brand is accused of oral rape, rape, indecent assault, ad two counts of sexual assault by the Metropolitan Police. The claims against the 50-year-old come from incidents that took place between 1999 and 2005 and involve four women.
The police had several allegations following a joint investigation conducted by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches in September 2023, resulting in the charges.
Oxforshire man Mr. Brand is accused of indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001 and raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999.
He is also accused of sexually assaulting and verbally raping a woman in Westminster in 2004. Between 2005 and 2005, a fourth woman was reportedly sexually assaulted in Westminster.
On May 2, Big Brother’s Big Mouth host and actor is due to attend Westminster Magistrates’ Court
The Crown Prosecution Service’s Jaswant Narwal said: “Today, we authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Russell Brand with a range of sex offences
“We thoroughly considered the evidence following a police investigation into complaints of mace after the transmission of a Channel 4 documentary in September 2023.
“We have decided that Russell Brand must be charged with offences such as rape, sexual assault and indecent assault.
“These are in connection with reported non-recent offences between 1999 and 2005 against four women.
“He will attend Westminster Magistrates’ Court for a first hearing on Friday, 2 May 2025.
“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to remind everyone that criminal proceedings are ongoing, and the defendant is entitled to a fair trial.
“It is very important that there should be no reporting, comment or dissemination of information on the internet which might in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
The Metropolitan Police’s Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who leads the inquiry, added:
“These women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“Met’s investigation is ongoing, and detectives urge anyone who has been impacted by this case, or anyone with information, to come forward and speak to police. A specialist team of investigators can be contacted by email at CIT@met.police.uk.
“Support can also be accessed by contacting the independent charity, Rape Crisis on 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line.”
Brand posted a new video posted on X and said: “What I never was, was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity.”
He added: “I’m now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Born in Essex, Brand became well-known as a stand-up comedian after appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe and Hackney Empire in 2000. Later, he transitioned into broadcasting, anchoring national radio and television shows.
His hosting of Big Brother’s Big Mouth, a spin-off of the wildly successful reality series Big Brother, in the middle of the 200s marked a sea change in his career.
Brand went on to front the UK leg of the charity event Live Earth, host the NME, MTV, and British awards ceremonies, and have his debate series on E4.
However, he was constantly surrounded by controversy, especially during award shows, which offered the kind of real-time, anything-can-happen turmoil in which he thrived.