Comedian Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults, and emotionally abusing four women during the height of his fame.
The comedian and presenter has vehemently denied the allegations, insisting that his prior relationships have been “absolutely always consensual”.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel and social media pages, he refuted the “very, very serious criminal allegations” and described the claims as “astonishing” and “rather baroque”.
In a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4, the actor has been accused of sexually assaulting four women between 2006 and 2013. Others have accused Brand of predatory and abusive behaviour.
One of the women alleges that Brand raped her in his Los Angeles home. She was forced up against a painting by Brand who proceeded to rape her despite her telling him to “get off, get off”, she claimed.
The woman had met Brand at a party previously and had met up with him in June 2012 to have consensual sex. On the night of the alleged assault, she had come round to his house after he apparently pleaded with her to come over. The woman said Brand was naked when she arrived and asked her to join him and “a friend” who was already in the bedroom.
It was when she refused that Brand pushed her up against the wall and assaulted her, she claimed.
According to a text message published by The Sunday Times, the woman texted Brand the next day saying “for u to take advantage of me like that is unexceptable. You have a problem, u need help… When a girl say NO it means no.”
Brand apparently replied “Im very sorry… I’m embarrassed by my behaviour”, according to the messages.
Another woman claims she was sexually assaulted by Brand the following year in early 2013. She had been working with Brand and had a brief sexual relationship with him prior to the alleged attack.
In the incident, she says she ended up trapped in a bedroom with Brand. She claims he was naked and pinned her onto the bed while she was fully clothed.
She was screaming “stop please, you’re my friend, I love you, please don’t do this,” The Times reported. Brand eventually relented and she left in tears, she claims.
Another woman claims that Brand took advantage of her when she was just 16.
The woman said she met Brand in 2006 on a shopping trip to Oxford Circus when she was a teenager. The encounter developed into a relationship, in which she claims Brand referred to her as “the child”.
She claims that Brand once removed a condom during sex without her knowing, and claims he sexually assaulted her towards the end of their relationship.
In a video posted ahead of The Times investigation, the 48-year-old said that he had received “two extremely disturbing letters” from both the newspaper and Channel 4 where they had detailed a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”, all of which he denied.
“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies,” he said.
“As I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
More to follow…