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Comedian Russell Brand was last night accused of raping a businesswoman and grooming a 16-year-old schoolgirl for sex.
In a series of bombshell allegations, the 48-year-old star was accused of sexual harassment and abusive and violent behavior between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the peak of his fame. Four women alleged they were assaulted by Brand, one of whom previously told the Mail on Sunday about his “controlling and manipulative” behaviour.
Last night, the Metropolitan Police said it had been “made aware” of media reports about “a series of sexual assault allegations” and urged any alleged victims to come forward.
The devastating allegations – made in a joint investigation between the Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches – date back to when Brand was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood films.
A woman alleged that Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home when she was 30. Another – whom she referred to as “the child” – told how the presenter targeted her when she was 16 and still at school, and he was 30.
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But in an extraordinary fightback, Brand took to social media to “absolutely deny” a series of “very serious criminal allegations” made in a 90-minute Dispatches documentary broadcast on Channel 4 last night.
Former Sky Sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher, the elder sister of Brand’s wife Laura, supported her brother-in-law by reposting his video with a big red love heart yesterday morning. But about an hour after the full allegations came out, he deleted the post.
Among a series of explosive allegations:
- Bosses at the BBC and Channel 4 faced questions about whether staff complaints about Brand’s alleged behavior were ignored;
- Channel 4 ordered an investigation into claims Brand had told staff on a show to approach female viewers after filming, making them feel like his “pimps”;
- Brand was dropped by his agent Tavistock Wood, while his longtime publicist Moira Bellas declined to say whether she still worked for him;
- Brand was said to have joked with Jimmy Savile in 2007 that he would bring a “very attractive” naked female employee to meet him – five years before Savile was exposed as a pedophile;
- The defiant comedian performed at a show in London last night, telling a cheering audience of 2,000 fans: “I love you”.
One of the alleged victims, Jordan Martin, told this newspaper in 2015 that she felt “mentally harassed and abused” during her six-month relationship with the brand. She also wrote a book claiming that Brand, whom she named “Randall Grand”, sexually assaulted her at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester.
She declined to be interviewed for the Sunday Times and Dispatch report, but is said to have confirmed that the book accurately depicts their relationship. The Minister of State contacted Greater Manchester Police last night but received no response.
The rape allegation on last night’s program relates to the time Brand lived in Los Angeles following his split from pop star Katy Perry.
A woman called “Nadia”, who called dispatch, described how she went to visit Starr at his home on the morning of 1 July 2012, where she claimed a naked Brand came out of her bedroom and then crashed into a wall. Attacked him.
Recalling the alleged incident, she said she “tried to move away” and “slipped”, adding: “He’s grabbing my underwear, pulling it to the side.”
She alleged that she told Brand to get away from him and that she wanted to leave, but he proceeded to rape her without a condom.
Following the alleged attack, Brand is said to have messaged Nadia: “I’m sorry. He was crazy and selfish. I hope you can forgive me, and I know you’re a lovely person.”
It is claimed that the woman went to a rape treatment center in Santa Monica, but did not file a police report out of concern that “her name would be dragged into the dirt”.
One woman was still in school when Brand allegedly began an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship with her.
Alice – not her real name – was 16 when Brand approached her in London’s Leicester Square. At the time, his career as host of Channel 4’s Big Brother’s Big Mouth and as a BBC presenter was taking off.
Although Alice was past the age of consent, both she and her mother described Brand’s behavior as “grooming.”
It is claimed that a taxi driver who took Alice to Brand’s home begged her not to go inside, as she admitted she was 16 and still at school.
Describing an alleged sexual assault, Alice said: “I was pushing him away, and he wasn’t pushing back at all.” A fourth alleged victim, “Phoebe”, says she met Brand at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and had a brief relationship with him, which ended after he allegedly attacked her in 2013. She claimed he tried to kiss her and removed her clothes. him down. “I saw something come over his eyes, I swear to God, like, black, there was no color in his eyes anymore,” she said.
The Metropolitan Police said: “We are aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault. We have not received any report in this regard. ‘If anyone believes they have been a victim of sexual assault, no matter how long ago, we would encourage them to contact the police.’
In a video released to his 6.5 million YouTube followers on Friday night, Brand said he has been accused of “extremely serious and offensive attacks, which are untrue” – adding that the allegations relate to when She is “mainstream” and “very, very sexual”.
“The relationships I had were always consensual. I was always transparent about it at the time, almost too transparent, and I’m still transparent about it now. “To see transparency turned into something criminal, which I absolutely deny, makes me question, is there another agenda at play?”
Appearing on stage in front of 2,000 fans at Wembley Park Theater last night, Brand announced: “I really appreciate your support. I love you.
“I have a lot to talk to you about. Obviously there are some things I just can’t talk about, and I appreciate that you would understand.”
Brand lives with Laura, 36, in a $6 million home near Henley in Oxfordshire and daughters Mabel, six, and Peggy, four. It appears that his wife, who is pregnant with their third child, deleted her Instagram account last night.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that BBC staff complained to Leslie Douglas about Brand when she was their boss as controller of Radio 2. It is alleged that Brand would “go into a rage”, throwing objects at the studio and on one occasion even urinating. In a bottle. The BBC confirmed last night that complaints had been raised but not investigated.
Lawyers representing Ms Douglas said she “at no time encouraged, enabled and/or failed herself to take any substantial steps within her power regarding Brand’s conduct of which she became aware” “.
It is also claimed that Brand’s behavior while working on Channel 4’s Big Brother Big Mouth was reported to managers at production company Endemol. A spokesman for Banijay UK, which bought Endemol, said it could find no record of such issues being raised. Channel 4 asked the company to “investigate these allegations and report back to us on their findings”.
