Russell Brand gigs scrapped amid sexual assault charges as Met gets report, more women come forward

Russell Brand's live gigs have been postponed by promoters a day after he was accused of sexual assault by four women. British police on Monday (Sep 18) said they had received a sexual assault allegation against the comedian after the women went public in the media about Brand's conduct.

A talent agency and a publisher also parted ways with Brand over the claims, which have left the UK entertainment industry facing questions about whether the comedian’s bad behaviour went unchallenged for so many years because of his fame.

Brand, 48, has denied allegations of sexual assault made by the women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers.

The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was only 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.

London’s Metropolitan Police force said that since the allegations were made public, it had received “a report of a sexual assault which was alleged to have taken place in Soho in central London in 2003.” That is three years before the earliest of the alleged assaults reported by the media outlets.

The police force said, “officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support.” It did not identify the alleged perpetrator as Brand, but referred to the newspaper and TV allegations in its statement. Police urged “anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us.”

Brand issued a statement on video and stated that all of his relationships were 'always consensual.'

On Monday, The Times said that more women had contacted the newspaper with allegations against Brand and they would be “rigorously checked.”

The allegations reported by the newspapers and Channel 4 cover the period between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a major star in Britain with a growing US profile.

Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, he hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

Brand was suspended by the BBC in 2008 for making lewd prank calls to Fawlty Towersactor Andrew Sachs in which he boasted about having sex with Sachs’ granddaughter. He quit his radio show in the wake of the incident, which drew thousands of complaints to the publicly funded broadcaster.

The BBC, Channel 4 and the production company behind the Big Brotherreality series – spinoffs of which were hosted by Brand -- all say they have launched investigations into Brand’s behaviour and how complaints were handled.

Brand also has been dropped by talent agency Tavistock Wood, which said it had been “horribly misled” by him. Publisher Bluebird, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, said it had decided to “pause” future publishing with Brand.

(With agency inputs)