The allegations, which Brand has not been convicted of, span 2005 to 2015. Police say more women have come forward since the comedian was jailed for 10 and a half years.
Six more women have accused Russell Brand of predatory behaviour and sexual misconduct, according to an investigation by The Times and the Sunday Times. Brand, 51, was sentenced on Monday to 10 and a half years in prison after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. After the sentencing, police confirmed that more women had come forward and that prosecutors were assessing whether to bring further charges. The new allegations are unproven. The Times said Brand’s lawyer did not respond before publication.
What The Times reports
The newspapers say the women’s accounts cover about 10 years, from 2005 to 2015, which goes beyond the 2004 to 2009 period of the offences for which Brand was convicted. They say the women contacted the publication after Channel 4’s Dispatches series aired, which followed a joint investigation with the outlets.
According to The Times, several women described encounters that followed Brand’s live comedy shows. Some alleged that he used his celebrity and members of his entourage to get hold of women’s contact details. One woman alleged he tried to pull her into a lavatory. Some described intimidation, humiliation and controlling behaviour as well as sexual contact.
The newspapers also report two specific claims. One woman alleged that Brand apologised after having sex with her without her consent. Another said she told Brand he was hurting her during sex and asked him to stop, but that he carried on. She claimed he later told her: “Tonight was consensual. Nobody did anything they didn’t want to do.”
The Times said none of the six was paid to take part, and that some had contacted police while others did not feel able to. It said its reporters examined messages, photographs, witness testimony and other records, though not all of that material has been made public. The paper said it held the allegations back until Brand’s trial had ended so as not to prejudice the case. Brand has previously denied non-consensual sexual activity. The report included no specific response to the six new accounts.
Police inquiries and possible charges
According to the Daily Mail, detectives are examining new allegations. It also reported that prosecutors are expected to decide within weeks whether to bring charges over two separate alleged rapes, one involving a 16-year-old girl.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson previously said: “The Met’s investigation into allegations of rape made by two women remains ongoing. The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations. Files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to both complainants. Detectives remain in close contact with prosecutors as inquiries continue and further investigative work is carried out.”
The Guardian reported on 6 November that police sources believed there could be at least 10 more potential victims, which it described as a preliminary assessment and not a confirmed number. It said Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley acknowledged that the reliability of the intelligence varied, with some women reluctant to engage with the criminal process. The available reporting does not establish how many of The Times’ six women are already known to police.
The Met has published an email address, CSOU@met.police.uk, and a phone number, 101, for anyone with relevant evidence, who should quote reference 2321/04NOV26.
The sentencing
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Bennathan said he would not take into account the allegations in the 2023 documentary or the charges on which the jury returned not-guilty verdicts, according to the judiciary’s published remarks. He reduced the rape sentence by one year after considering mitigation, including Brand’s lack of significant previous convictions and his support for people in addiction treatment, including financial contributions. He stressed that the seriousness of the offending required immediate imprisonment.
He did not order a pre-sentence report, saying custody was unavoidable and that he had enough information from Brand’s evidence, the character evidence and legal submissions. He said the evidence did not give a sound basis for a formal finding of future dangerousness. The Met confirmed that Brand will be subject to lifelong sex-offender notification requirements, which continue after his release.
A civil claim in New York
Brand also faces a civil lawsuit in New York relating to the 2010 film Arthur. An unnamed woman who worked as an extra alleges that he exposed himself and later sexually assaulted her in a bathroom, and that a crew member stood guard outside. Brand denies the allegations, according to Reuters. It reported that a judge rejected Warner Bros’ attempt to have the case thrown out earlier this month. The studio’s producers deny liability. No civil finding has been made against either defendant.
Goldsmith and the 2014 call-out
Thames Valley Police confirmed on 11 November that officers attended a home in Oxfordshire on 25 July 2014 after a woman reported that her partner had assaulted her, Sky News reported. Police said they spoke to her, gave assistance and made sure her partner left the property at her request. No arrest was made. Jemima Goldsmith has publicly alleged abuse by Brand and linked herself to the incident. She told ABC News she did not pursue charges because she feared the publicity would affect her teenage children, and that the relationship had a lasting impact on her. She said she had helped journalists investigating Brand, including Ros Urwin, Louisa Compton and Dorothy Byrne. Ms Byrne publicly thanked her, Sky News reported, for warning her that Brand could be a danger to other women. The Los Angeles Times reported that Ms Goldsmith said she and Brand had obtained an injunction in 2014 over allegations and harassment involving a massage therapist, and that she later agreed to vary it so the woman could report allegations to police. The therapist’s allegations are disputed.
Failures in the industry
Reuters reported that three of the four women whose allegations led to convictions worked in the media industry. It said one had complained to a Channel 4 line manager about an assault during the making of a television advertisement in 2009, and that Channel 4 later acknowledged the complaint was not escalated to senior management. Caroline Frost, television editor of Radio Times, told Reuters that popular performers could become insulated from criticism because they generated audiences and revenue.
Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman has proposed making judicial directions on rape myths mandatory in rape trials. According to The Guardian, the Ministry of Justice said it would consider the proposal and noted that judges can already give such directions.
