Cops investigating new claim Russell Brand attacked woman in London’s Soho as more alleged victims set to come forward
POLICE have begun investigating a new claim that comic Russell Brand sexually assaulted a woman in London’s Soho.
The alleged attack is said to have taken place in 2003.
The Met Police said in a statement yesterday it received a report on Sunday.
It added: “Officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support.”
The claim came after Brand, 48, was engulfed in rape and sex assault allegations published by The Sunday Times and shown by Channel 4’s Dispatches.
He faced claims — dating from 2006 to 2013 — from five women. The youngest was just 16 at the time.
Yesterday, it was claimed Brand sent a car paid for with BBC licence payers’ money to collect her from school and take her to his home.
She claims the presenter and actor forced her to carry out a sex act which left her struggling for breath and then dismissed her tears, saying: “I only wanted to see your mascara run.”
The separate allegations — by two women in Los Angeles and three in Britain — have prompted the Met to make an appeal for “victims of crime” to come forward.
The Sun understands there are more alleged victims considering speaking to police.
And one former model has told how Brand stalked her through the streets of London demanding sex.
This comes after The Sunday Times, who exposed Brand as an alleged serial sex attacker, said it had compiled a list of at least ten more women whose cases had not yet been made public.
Last night Brand — who has vigorously denied the claims made against him — postponed remaining shows in his UK theatre tour as a storm of outrage over his alleged conduct gathered pace.
He was due to perform his Bipolarisation show at the Theatre Royal Windsor, Berks, today.
Other performances were planned to take place in Plymouth on Friday and Wolverhampton next week.
The show’s promoters said in a statement: “We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows. We don’t like doing it — but we know you’ll understand.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman described the allegations against the comedian and actor-turned wellness guru and YouTube influencer as “very serious and concerning”.
The spokesman added: “People should feel able to raise concerns where they have them and know they will be treated seriously and treated with sensitivity.
“The Prime Minister has been clear there should never be any space for harassment, regardless of where it is found.”
Brand’s publisher, Bluebird, announced all planned books by him had been paused pending the outcome of investigations.
He had already been dumped by his literary agent and a charity.
The star is facing multi-pronged probes from police, the BBC, Channel 4 and production company Banijay UK, which made his Big Brother spin-off shows.
Tory MP Caroline Nokes, chair of the Commons’ women and equalities select committee, called for police to begin a criminal inquiry into his alleged conduct.
She told the BBC: “These allegations are incredibly shocking and criminal. I would very much hope that complaints will be made both to the Metropolitan Police and indeed in the States, because this merits and needs a criminal investigation.
“For too long we have seen men — and the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes are almost invariably men — not being held to account for their behaviours and their actions.”
Government minister Laura Trott urged any alleged victims to come forward.
She said: “Any woman reading the allegations over the weekend would have shuddered.
“It is vital that any woman who has gone through anything like (what) has been described does speak out, does speak to the police, because that is the way we will make real change.”
Before the allegations against him were published by The Sunday Times and aired on Channel 4, Brand posted a video online on Friday insisting that all his relationships have been “consensual”.
The Los Angeles Police Department said it did not have an open investigation into Brand over any alleged crimes.
Ex-Met superintendent Mike Hames, a specialist sex crimes investigator, said if a criminal case was ever pursued in court then confessional material on Brand’s sexual debauchery written by the ex-TV host could potentially be used as evidence.
In his books, Brand admitted to a litany of lurid sex acts which began in his childhood and got steadily worse as he found fame and adulation.
The former drug addict said he replaced narcotics with sex and has been treated for sex addiction.
Mr Hames said: “If there was an investigation, officers may well take into account what he has written about his personal life as it is a public statement.”
Meanwhile, the BBC has said it is “urgently looking into the issues raised” while Brand worked on BBC radio programmes between 2006 and 2008.
