London — London’s Metropolitan Police have charged comedian and actor Russell Brand with one count of rape, oral rape and indecent assault and two other counts of sexual assault, the police force said Friday. Brand issued a statement on Friday denying the allegations against him.
British detectives have said they started investigating the TV star in September 2023 after “receiving a number of allegations, which followed reporting by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times.”
In September 2023, those British media outlets published claims by four women who said they were sexually assaulted or raped by Brand between 2006 and 2013, at the height of his fame.
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“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,” Metropolitan Police detective superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement Friday.
The police said in a statement that Brand would appear in a London court for a first hearing on May 2.
Authorities in London told CBS News that Brand was charged by the police via “postal requisition, so is not in custody.”
He was to remain free on bail until his court appearance.
In a video posted Friday on social media, Brand claimed the law in the U.K. “has become a kind of weapon to be used against people, institutions, sometimes entire nations, that will not accept and tolerate levels of corruption that are unprecedented,” asking Britons, “how do you feel about your legal system?”
In the video, which appeared to have been recorded outside of the U.K., Brand alluded to his adoption of Christianity, saying he accepted that “I was a fool, before I lived in the light of the lord.”
“I was a drug addict, sex addict, and an imbecile,” he said, “but what I never was, was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
He concluded by thanking his supporters and saying he was grateful to have the opportunity to defend himself against the charges in court.
