Russell Brand's assault, rape allegations being investigated: What his accusers say happened

Russell Brand, who has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse after an initial four women came forward about their alleged interactions, has been questioned for a second time by police investigating sexual offense allegations, British media reported Monday.

The 48-year-old comedian, actor and social influencer was interviewed under caution last week over six "non-recent" allegations, the Press Association news agency reported. Brand was questioned by police in November over three other claims.

London's Metropolitan Police did not identify Brand but said in a statement that a man in his 40s attended a police station in south London for a second time on Thursday. British police do not name suspects who have not been arrested and charged.

In a report published Sept. 16, The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4's "Dispatches" revealed the accusations, which included one woman alleging Brand raped her, while three others accused him of sexual assault. Brand denied the allegations, maintaining all of his relationships have been consensual.

The accusations have also spurred broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel 4, where Brand was previously employed as a presenter, to launch internal investigations into his conduct.

On Nov. 14, the BBC announced that amid their investigations, two more people had come forward to complain about Brand.

Several media and police forces have made queries about Brand's conduct. London's Metropolitan Police announced on Sept. 25 that they have opened a sex crimes investigation into Brand. Thames Valley Police, another U.K. police force, is investigating Brand for harassment and stalking, they announced on Oct. 2.

Here's what we know.

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Russell Brand faces sexual assault lawsuit on 'Arthur' set

Brand is facing a lawsuit from a woman identified as Jane Doe, who claims she was sexually assaulted by the British comedian on the set of the 2011 "Arthur" remake.

The woman accused Brand of being "intoxicated" on July 7, 2010, before she says he exposed himself "in full view of the cast and crew," according to an affidavit filed Nov. 3 in the Supreme Court of New York, Suffolk County obtained by People and the BBC.

Doe claims Brand sexually assaulted her in a bathroom later that same day "as a member of the production crew guarded the door from outside," according to the court documents.

The woman also alleges she was hired to work three days, but following the assault, she was not asked to return for a second and third day, nor paid for that time.

Warner Bros Pictures, Warner Bros. Discover, MBST Entertainment, BenderSpink and Langley Park Productions are also defendants.

Doe asked the courts to maintain her anonymity out of fear of retaliation. "I am terrified of being blacklisted in the industry or suffering other negative effects beyond what I already suffered," she stated in the filing. "I cannot bear to imagine my career that I love being jeopardized."

In an interview with The Sunday Times released Nov. 4, the woman said, "I felt used and abused. Disgusting is the only word. I felt like I was being used, that I was just an object for his momentary titillation."

London police launch sex crimes, harassment investigations against Russell Brand

British police said on Sept. 25 that they "received a number of allegations of sexual offenses" after a television documentary and newspaper investigations. It said there have been no arrests.

The police force did not name Brand in its statement, but referred to the recent articles and documentary. It said detectives were investigating allegations of "non-recent" sexual offenses, both in London and elsewhere.

"We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us," Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, who is leading the investigation, told the Associated Press.

Thames Valley Police announced on Oct. 2 that they are taking a fresh look at harassment and stalking allegations previously made by a woman against Brand between 2018 and 2022, the BBC and PA news agency said.

The police force declined to name Brand – as is usual in the U.K. for people who have not been charged – but issued a statement when asked about the news reports.

"Thames Valley Police in the past two weeks, received new information in relation to harassment and stalking allegations dating back to 2018," it said. "This information is being investigated; as such it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation."

UK news outlets detail sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand

The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4's "Dispaches" spoke with four women who alleged Brand raped, sexually assaulted or abused them between 2006 and 2013, at the height of the "Get Him to the Greek" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" actor's fame.

The women requested anonymity and in the report were referred to using pseudonyms.

One woman, who went by Nadia, accused the comedian of raping her in his Los Angeles home in 2012. According to the report published in The Times of London, medical records showed she was treated at a rape crisis center on the day of the alleged incident and had therapy sessions there for five months, but she declined to file a police report.

A second woman, referred to as Alice, said she was in an emotionally abusive relationship with Brand over the course of three months in 2006. She was 16 and he was in his early 30s. During that time, Brand allegedly sexually assaulted her once. (The age of consent in the U.K. is 16 years old.)

A third woman, Phoebe, said she and Brand had a brief sexual relationship that ended when he allegedly sexually assaulted her in his home in early 2013 while they worked on a business project. Phoebe said she did not report the incident out of fear of negative career impact.

In 2014, Brand's ex-girlfriend Jordan Martin claimed in a self-published book, "kNot: Entanglement with a Celebrity," that he sexually assaulted her and was physically and emotionally abusive toward her. Martin declined to be interviewed for the investigation but confirmed her account to The Times of London.

After the investigation was published, The Times reported more women have contacted the outlets with claims about Brand's behavior dating back to the early aughts.

Canadian actress Katherine Ryan who called Russell Brand sexual 'predator' avoids mentioning his name at industry gathering

Katherine Ryan, a Canadian actress and British TV presenter, appeared at a gathering of British broadcasting talent and executives in September 2023 and addressed the "elephant in the room," a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that she previously called an unnamed co-star from the Comedy Central show "Roast Battle" a sexual predator. Ryan was referring to Brand, according to reports.

Ryan told the comedy show audience that the "elephant" was her dramatic weight loss, and did not mention Brand or the accusation leveled against him. According to Deadline, in an appearance last year on the BBC series "Louis Theroux Interviews ...," Ryan said she confronted the unnamed "Roast Battle" co-star, saying, "I, in front of loads of people, in the format of the show, said to this person’s face that they are a predator."

BBC, Channel 4 launch internal investigations into Russell Brand's conduct as a presenter

The BBC, Channel 4 and production company Banijay UK said they have launched investigations into Brand's behavior and how complaints were handled.

On Nov. 14,  BBC said it recorded a total of five complaints against Brand, including two people who raised complaints and concerns during the time Brand worked there and again after he left the corporation.

Another person made a separate complaint after Brand's departure.

The broadcaster's statement from Peter Johnston, its director of editorial complaints, did not specify the nature of the latest allegations. But its news website reported that they are "understood to relate to his workplace conduct, and are not of a serious sexual nature."

"Although my work is in no way complete and therefore I cannot yet reach any conclusions, it would appear that no disciplinary action was taken against Russell Brand during his engagement with the BBC in 2006-8 prior to his departure from the BBC," Johnston said.

A BBC spokesperson told CNN on Sept. 18, "Russell Brand worked on BBC radio programmes between 2006 and 2008 and we are urgently looking into the issues raised."

Channel 4 boss Alex Mohan confirmed that the broadcaster has begun an investigation, calling the allegations "horrendous" as well as "disgusting and saddening," she said during the opening of the Royal Television Society conference, per Variety and Sky News.

BAFTA, other industry organizations vow to look into culture of harassment

BAFTA chair Sara Putt promised in her first letter to members that the organization would take a closer look at the "culture of the screen industries and what still needs to change" amid "this weekend's news." Although she did not mention Brand by name, Putt stressed the mandate that U.K. productions entering their projects for awards must have a bullying and harassment policy in place for eligibility. She also voiced support for the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority's ongoing work to prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination.

CIISA also issued a statement following Brand's allegations. "The news this weekend further underlines the need for this critical intervention," the organization wrote. "CIISA is currently developing its services and structure, which will give individuals working in the creative industries a trusted place to go for mediation, seek advice, dispute resolution and crucially, investigation."

Will Russell Brand be charged?

It's still not yet clear. However, London's Metropolitan Police Force said Sept. 18 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."

The police force said "officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support."

London's Metropolitan Police Force told The Associated Press it would speak to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure "any victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police."

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If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org/online and receive confidential support.

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russell Brand: Alleged assaults, police investigations explained