Russell Brand has been charged with one count of rape and several other sexual offences, the Metropolitan Police has announced.
The Met said Brand had been charged with a count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault.
The charges Brand is accused of relate to four different women and he is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on 2 May.
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The Met Police said it had been authorised to charge Brand by the Crown Prosecution Service following an investigation.
Detectives started investigating in September 2023 after they received a number of allegations following the release of a documentary which contained reporting from C4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
Ahead of the release of the documentary, titled Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, Brand posted a video onto his YouTube channel denying 'very serious criminal allegations', and The Times said it had given him eight days to provide a response to its investigation and he had not done so.
While accusing the media of planning a coordinated attack against him in his YouTube denial, he said: "Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.
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"Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I'm being transparent about it now as well."
Following the documentary's release, the Met Police confirmed in a statement that it had received multiple non-recent allegations against Brand.
Of the the charges against Brand, the Met Police says they relate to allegations that in 1999 a woman was raped in the Bournemouth area, that in 2001 a woman was indecently assaulted in Westminster, in 2004 a woman was orally raped and sexually assaulted in Westminster and between 2004 and 2005 a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy from the Metropolitan Police who is leading the investigation said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
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“The Met's investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police. A dedicated team of investigators is available via email at [email protected].
“Support is also available by contacting the independent charity, Rape Crisis at 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line.”
Topics: Russell Brand, Crime, UK News
Joe Harker