UK police receive sexual assault allegation following Russell Brand reports | News

Police received a report of a sexual assault allegedly taking place in Soho, London, in 2003, following media reports of alleged assaults between 2006 and 2013.

British police say they have received an allegation of sexual assault dating back 20 years after media reported allegations from several women about Russell Brand, with promoters postponing the remaining dates of a series of concerts by the comedian, who denies the allegations. .

A talent agency and publisher also parted ways with Brand over the allegations, leaving the British entertainment industry facing questions over whether the comedian’s behavior went unchallenged because of his fame.

Brand, 48, said on Saturday he had never had non-consensual sex when The Sunday Times newspaper and Channel 4 documentary show Dispatches reported that four women had accused him of sexual assault, including rape, between 2006 and 2013.

Police said that since the allegations were published and broadcast, they had received a report of an assault which allegedly took place in Soho, central London, in 2003.

“Officers are in contact with the woman and will provide support,” the Metropolitan Police statement said.

“We first spoke to the Sunday Times on Saturday September 16 and have since made further representations to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure that anyone who believes they have been the victim of a sexual offense knows how to report to the police.”

There was no immediate comment from Brand’s representatives following the police statement.

Brand, the former husband of American singer Katy Perry, posted a video message on social media denying the “very serious criminal allegations” hours before they were published on Saturday.

“These allegations relate to the time when I worked in the general public, when I was in newspapers all the time, when I was in the cinema. And as I’ve written a lot in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” Brand said.

“Now, during this period of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual,” added the comedian, known for his flamboyant style and appearance who starred in numerous films such as Get Him to the Greek.

The Times and Dispatches said one woman filed a rape complaint, while another said Brand assaulted her when she was 16 and still in school. Two of the accusers had reported that the incidents occurred in Los Angeles.

Reports of the allegations surrounding Brand, once one of the country’s most high-profile comedians and broadcasters, have dominated British media since they emerged.

He was in the middle of a stand-up tour and was due to perform at the Theater Royal Windsor on Tuesday, but this has now been cancelled.

“We’re postponing these few drug addiction charity fundraising shows, we don’t like doing it – but we know you’ll understand,” promoters of his tour said in a statement, shared by the theater.

The BBC, whose radio programs he worked on between 2006 and 2008, said it was urgently investigating the issues raised by the allegations and Banijay UK, the production company behind a television show formerly hosted by Brand, said she too had launched an urgent internal investigation. .

“These are very serious and concerning allegations, and you are aware that the Met Police have asked anyone who believes they have been the victim of sexual assault to come forward and speak to officers,” a Premier spokesperson said. British Minister, Rishi Sunak, to journalists.

Conservative lawmaker Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged British and US police to investigate the “incredibly shocking” allegations.

“This deserves and requires a criminal investigation, because for too long we have seen men – and the perpetrators of these kinds of crimes are almost invariably men – not being held accountable for their behavior and their actions,” he said. -she declared on BBC radio.

The claims have reignited debate about the “lad culture” that flourished in Britain in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the misogyny that still permeates the internet.