
British actor Russell Brand charged with rape, sexual assault
By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Bast Bramhall (Video Editor)
- London’s Metropolitan Police charged British actor Russell Brand with five counts of rape and sexual assault Friday, April 4. The charges stemmed from incidents reported by four women from 1999 to 2005.
- Authorities launched an investigation in September 2023 following British media reports of sexual and emotional abuse allegations against Brand.
- Brand denied all allegations, asserting that his relationships were consensual, while police continue their investigation and urge any potential victims to come forward.
Full Story
British comedian and actor Russell Brand faces five counts of rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police announced Friday. The charges consist of one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault.
Media Landscape
See how news outlets across the political spectrum are covering this story. Learn moreBias Summary
- Russell Brand has been charged with multiple sexual offenses, including one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault, according to the Metropolitan Police.
- The charges involve four women, with incidents reported between 1999 and 2005, as confirmed by Jaswant Narwal of the Crown Prosecution Service.
- Detectives began the investigation in September 2023 after allegations surfaced following reports by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
- Brand is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court for a first hearing on May 2, 2025.
- No summary available because of a lack of coverage.
- Russell Brand has been charged with rape and sexual assault related to four alleged incidents dating back to 1999, according to London's Metropolitan Police Service.
- Detectives began investigating Brand in September 2023 following multiple allegations made against him, as revealed by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
- Brand is scheduled to appear in court on May 2 to face these charges, and he is not currently in police custody.
- He has denied all allegations, stating that all sexual activity was consensual and that he was "always transparent about that" in his past.
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The alleged offenses, reported by four women, occurred between 1999 and 2005.

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Brand denied the allegations, stating that all of his relationships have been consensual. In a 2023 video response, he described the accusations as “very serious.”
Investigation launched in 2023 following sexual assault allegations
In 2023, British media outlets, including The Sunday Times and Channel 4, published reports alleging that Brand had sexually and emotionally abused four women.
“One woman alleges that Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home. She was treated at a rape crisis center on the same day, according to medical records. A second woman alleges that Brand assaulted her when he was 31 and she was 16 and still at school. A third woman claims that he sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles, and that he threatened to take legal action if she told anyone else about her allegation. The fourth described being sexually assaulted by Brand and him being physically and emotionally abusive toward her.”
The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches Investigation
Following the reports, police launched an investigation that led to the formal charges.
Brand denies allegations
Brand, known for roles in films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” repeatedly denied the accusations.
When the allegations first surfaced in 2023, he posted a video on social media calling the allegations “very serious” and insisting that all encounters were consensual.
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“I was very very promiscuous,” Brand said. “Now during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.”
“What I seriously refute is are these very, very serious criminal allegations,” Brand continued.
Court appearance scheduled
Brand is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 2 in connection with the charges.
[KARAH RUCKER]
BRITISH COMEDIAN AND ACTOR “RUSSELL BRAND” HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE COUNTS OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT.
BRITAIN’S CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE AND LONDON’S METROPOLITAN POLICE CONFIRMED THE CHARGES.
BRAND – HAS PREVIOUSLY DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS.
SOME OF THE FOLLOWING DETAILS CAN BE DESCRIBED AS GRAPHIC IN NATURE –
AND COULD BE DISTURBING FOR SOME VIEWERS.
BRAND IS FACING ONE COUNT OF RAPE, ONE COUNT OF INDECENT ASSAULT, ONE COUNT OF ORAL RAPE, AND TWO COUNTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.
THE INCIDENTS – ALLEGEDLY TOOK PLACE BETWEEN 1999 AND 2005 AND WERE REPORTED BY FOUR WOMEN.
THE ACCUSATIONS SURFACED IN 2023 AFTER AN INVESTIGATION BY SEVERAL MEDIA OUTLETS – The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.
IN ITS 2023 EXPOSE –
THE NEWS INVESTIGATIVE REPORT READ –
One woman alleges that Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home. She was treated at a rape crisis centre on the same day, according to medical records.
A second woman alleges that Brand assaulted her when he was 31 and she was 16 and still at school.
A third woman claims that he sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles, and that he threatened to take legal action if she told anyone else about her allegation.
The fourth described being sexually assaulted by Brand and him being physically and emotionally abusive towards her.
IT WAS THIS MEDIA REPORT THAT WOULD LEAD TO POLICE INVESTIGATING BRAND AND THE ALLEGATIONS IN SEPTEMBER 2023.
AFTER THE INITIAL ALLEGATIONS – BRAND POSTED A VIDEO IN RESPONSE –
CALLING THE ALLEGATIONS VERY SERIOUS – AND INSISTING HIS RELATIONSHIPS WERE ALWAYS CONSENSUAL.
“…I was very very promiscuous. Now during that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.”
“I don’t mind them using my books and my stand up to talk about my promiscuous consensual conduct in the past, What I seriously refute is these very, very serious criminal allegations”.
BRAND IS EXPECTED TO APPEAR IN COURT ON MAY 2 IN RELATION TO THESE CHARGES.
AS OF THIS RECORDING – BRAND HAS NOT PUBLICLY COMMENTED ABOUT THE CHARGES FILED AGAINST HIM.
WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS STORY –
ANY UPDATES CAN BE FOUND IN OUR MOBILE APP –
OR ON OUR WEBSITE AT SAN DOT COM.
Media Landscape
See how news outlets across the political spectrum are covering this story. Learn moreBias Summary
- Russell Brand has been charged with multiple sexual offenses, including one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault, according to the Metropolitan Police.
- The charges involve four women, with incidents reported between 1999 and 2005, as confirmed by Jaswant Narwal of the Crown Prosecution Service.
- Detectives began the investigation in September 2023 after allegations surfaced following reports by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
- Brand is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court for a first hearing on May 2, 2025.
- No summary available because of a lack of coverage.
- Russell Brand has been charged with rape and sexual assault related to four alleged incidents dating back to 1999, according to London's Metropolitan Police Service.
- Detectives began investigating Brand in September 2023 following multiple allegations made against him, as revealed by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
- Brand is scheduled to appear in court on May 2 to face these charges, and he is not currently in police custody.
- He has denied all allegations, stating that all sexual activity was consensual and that he was "always transparent about that" in his past.
Bias Comparison
Bias Distribution
Left
Untracked Bias
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