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The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches published their joint investigation on Saturday accusing Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault and abuse. 

Four women alleged Brand assaulted them between 2006 and 2013.

This period marks the height of Brand’s fame – he was a presenter for the BBC and Channel 4 before becoming a high-profile Hollywood star.

The comedian vehemently denied “very serious criminal allegations” in a YouTube video on Friday night, claiming his relationships were “always consensual”.

Here are the allegations against him in full.

Warning: This article contains details of a graphic nature that readers may find distressing

‘Grooming and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old’

Alice – not her real name – alleged she had a sexual relationship with Brand aged just 16 and that he sexually assaulted her.

Brand, who was 30 at the time, sent cars to Alice’s school to collect her from lessons so they could have sex at his home, she said.

He became increasingly controlling during the relationship, Alice said, and encouraged her to lie to family and friends about the relationship, even instructing her to save his number under the name “Carly” to avoid suspicion. She says Brand’s management also told him to keep their relationship private.

She also alleged that he removed a condom during sex without her knowledge.

“Russell engaged in the behaviours of a groomer, looking back, but I didn’t even know what that was then, or what that looked like,” she said.

While in bed with Brand, Alice says the comedian forced his penis into her mouth to the point she was unable to breathe.

“I was pushing him away and he wasn’t backing off at all,” she said.

“I ended up having to punch him really hard in the stomach to get him off. I was crying and he said, ‘Oh, I only wanted to see your mascara run anyway’.”

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How the Brand allegations came out

After this, he held her mouth open, drooled into it, and then held her mouth shut, forcing her to swallow his spit and leaving her “gagging and crying”.

Alice also told the investigation that Brand found it arousing that she was a virgin, called her “the child” and “my little dolly” and asked her to read the 1955 novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov about a professor sexually obsessed with pre-pubescent girls.

‘Raping a businesswoman in LA’

Nadia, who did not use her real name to protect her identity, said Brand raped her at his home in LA in 2012.

They previously had consensual sex but Nadia said he had a “glazed over” look during the encounter.

In the early hours of 1 July 2012, Brand pleaded with her to visit his house.

When she got there, he asked her to join him and a “friend” for a threesome in his bedroom, she alleged.

When she refused, Nadia said Brand pushed her against a wall and raped her without using a condom.

Russell Brand in 2012 Pic: AP
Image:
Russell Brand in 2012. Pic: AP

After escaping his house, she said Brand sent her a text at 3.29am, which said: “I’m sorry. That was crazy and selfish. I hope you can forgive me, I know that you’re a lovely person. X.”

She said she ignored a call from him but texted him the following morning to say he had “scared the s***” out of her, adding: “When a girl say(s) NO it means no.”

Brand replied he was “very sorry” and “embarrassed” by his behaviour, The Times reported.

Nadia provided the team of journalists with her medical records from a rape treatment centre she went to after the rape, as well as therapy records.

Several months later, she said she wrote to Brand, saying: “You completely broke me down.”

Brand ‘fired woman who worked for him after sex assault’

Phoebe – not her real name – had a brief consensual relationship with Brand after they met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in 2013, she said.

He later hired her for a project they worked on together.

During this time, Phoebe said she became “trapped” in a bedroom in Brand’s home and he started chasing her around the room.

Russell Brand in his latest YouTube video Pic: YouTube/Russell Brand
Image:
Russell Brand denied the allegations in his latest YouTube video. Pic: YouTube/Russell Brand

Brand, who was naked, “grabbed me and got me on the bed” and tried to forcibly remove her clothes.

She said: “I was screaming, and I was like, ‘What are you doing, stop, please, you’re my friend, I love you, please don’t do this, I don’t want to do this’. I think he had his hands down my trousers but I was fighting so hard and I was screaming so hard, hoping that I could get through somehow.”

When the assault ended, Phoebe said Brand became “super angry” and shouted “f*** you” and told her she was fired.

She ran out of his house barefoot, running into a group of people outside who had arrived for a business meeting, Phoebe said.

One of the people in the group apologised to Phoebe years later, she claimed.

She said: “He pulled me aside and he said to me, ‘I have never forgiven myself for not running in that house to save you. I heard you screaming. And I didn’t know what to do. And we were all so scared of him and I didn’t do anything. And I am sorry’.”

Phoebe continued working with Brand but she said he “cornered her” and threatened legal action when he discovered she had told friends about the alleged assault.

‘Sexually assaulted ex-girlfriend’

Brand’s former girlfriend Jordan Martin did not provide an account to the journalists working on the investigation due to “personal family circumstances” but confirmed to the team that she stood by allegations she made in a self-published book.

The former model had a six-month relationship with Brand in 2007.

In her book, she detailed an alleged sexual assault at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester between Dina and Randall Grand – pseudonyms she used for herself and Brand.

Ms Martin said the comedian became angry when he found out she had spoken to an ex-boyfriend.

He then grabbed her phone and assaulted her in the bathroom, sliding his hand into her underwear, she claimed.

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Brand arrives at gig after sex assault claims

She said she was “not ready for this intrusion” and did not find it “sensual or pleasant”.

Brand also forced her to brush her teeth so hard that it made her gums bleed so she would taste “anonymous” to him, Ms Martin said.

She wrote that Brand “pushes boundaries, controlling other people to fulfil personal perversions for the sake of dominance”.

“There were times when I felt bullied and abused, not in a physical or sexual way, but mentally. I was vulnerable… His manipulative side was so powerful it was easier to just submit.”

Brand has never disputed Ms Martin’s account in her book.

‘Offered naked assistant to Jimmy Savile’

Dispatches and The Times also detailed other disturbing behaviour in the documentary – including inappropriate comments made to paedophile Jimmy Savile.

On his radio show in 2007, Brand spoke with Savile, who said they could meet if Brand brought his sister.

The comedian said he didn’t have a sister but offered to bring his assistant naked to the meeting.

“I’ve got a personal assistant, and part of her job description is that anyone I demand she greet, meet, massages, she has to do it. She’s very attractive, Jimmy,” Brand is claimed to have said.

Savile died in 2011 aged 84.

More than 450 allegations of sexual abuse against children were reported to police after his death.

Read more:
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Comedian tells fans at gig there are ‘things he can’t discuss’
From drug addict to star often at centre of controversy

‘Flashing junior staff’

Brand’s personal assistant between 2006 and 2007 also alleged he showed friends intimate pictures of women.

Brand also instructed the assistant, Helen Berger, to procure women for him to have sex with from audiences on shows he presented, she claimed.

She also said Brand often wore only underwear around her and had a “very active sex addiction”.

Meanwhile, a production runner on Big Brother’s Efourum said Brand flashed her on set and insinuated she “might like to suck his d***”.

She added: “I was incredibly shocked. I wasn’t going to tell anyone what he’d done because I didn’t want to lose my job.”

She later had consensual sex with him but he insisted she had to keep it a secret.

“As an older woman I can say with clarity I felt like I was groomed for sex,” the runner said.

“Production companies enabled him to exist in environments where he was able to take advantage of who he was.”

Another crew member said she raised a separate complaint with a colleague about Brand’s sexual pursuit of audience members on his shows.

The crew member said women often phoned her in tears “because they felt used”.

“I don’t know what went on once they left the studio,” they added.

She said it felt she was a “pimp to Russell Brand’s need” and that they “were taking lambs into slaughter”.

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Brand denies ‘serious allegations’

Brand denies allegations ‘absolutely’

Denying the allegations in a video posted online ahead of the publication of the claims, Brand said he was facing a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”.

The 48-year-old said: “These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies and as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.

“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 am being transparent about it now as well.

“To see that transparency metastasised into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question – is there another agenda at play?”

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Met Police chief calls for more legal protections as army on standby to replace firearms officers

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Met Police chief calls for more legal protections as army on standby to replace firearms officers

The head of the Metropolitan Police has demanded increased legal protections for officers after a revolt by armed police left the army poised to fill in.

Soldiers are on standby for armed police after scores of Metropolitan Police officers stood down from firearms duties following a murder charge against one of their colleagues.

The force’s commissioner Sir Mark Rowley welcomed a review into the situation by Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

And in an open letter he told her to “let the police police”.

Read more:
‘Let the police police’: Met chief’s letter to home secretary in full
Will armed officer’s murder charge force change in how police shootings are reported?

“It is essential that we have a system which commands the confidence of officers and the communities they serve,” he wrote.

“Of course, where wrongdoing takes place, the public expect us to be held to the highest standards.

More on Metropolitan Police

“I have been clear on this in all areas of policing, and the use of force must be no exception.

“The system that judges officers’ actions should be rooted in integrity and decisions should be reached swiftly, competently and without fear or favour.

“A review is needed to address accountability mechanisms, including the policies and practices of the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), ideally with a focus on the threshold for investigating police use of force and involvement in pursuits.”

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Met Police: Army on standby

He added: “The review announced today is therefore a very welcome development.

“I have spoken publicly in recent weeks about the need to let the police police.

“Our commitment to delivering change in the Met is unflinching and we are making positive progress, but that progress is undermined by a system not set up to help officers succeed.”

More than 100 officers have reportedly handed in permits allowing them to carry weapons, prompting Scotland Yard to turn to the military for assistance.

The crisis has emerged after an unnamed officer was charged with murder over the shooting of unarmed Chris Kaba, 24, who was killed in September last year in Streatham Hill, south London.

CHRIS KABA
Image:
Chris Kaba

The officer accused of his murder is named only as NX121 after a district judge granted an anonymity order.

Ms Braverman said: “We depend on our brave firearms officers to protect us from the most dangerous and violent in society.

“In the interest of public safety, they have to make split-second decisions under extraordinary pressures.

“They mustn’t fear ending up in the dock for carrying out their duties. Officers risking their lives to keep us safe have my full backing and I will do everything in my power to support them.

“That’s why I have launched a review to ensure they have the confidence to do their jobs while protecting us all.”

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‘Let the police police’: Met commissioner’s letter to home secretary in full

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'Let the police police': Met commissioner's letter to home secretary in full

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has written and open letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman, urging her to “let the police police”.

Below is the letter in full:

Dear Home Secretary,

I welcome your announcement earlier today that you will be launching a review into how police officers are held to account when force is used.

You will know from our previous discussions that it is an area that I believe is long overdue for reform to address a number of imbalances.

In the UK we proudly police by consent, embracing the principles of accountability, transparency and independent scrutiny. It is essential that we have a system which commands the confidence of officers and the communities they serve.

Read more:
Armed police must not fear ‘ending up in the dock’
Met Police firearms officers turning in their weapons

Of course, where wrongdoing takes place the public expect us to be held to the highest standards. I have been clear on this in all areas of policing, and the use of force must be no exception.

The system that judges officers’ actions should be rooted in integrity and decisions should be reached swiftly, competently and without fear or favour.

A review is needed to address accountability mechanisms, including the policies and practices of the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Crown Prosecution Service, ideally with a focus on the threshold for investigating police use of force and involvement in pursuits.

The review announced today is therefore a very welcome development.

Metropolitan Police firearms officers stand outside the Houses of Parliament in London, as the number of armed officers in Britain's biggest police force will rise by more than a quarter after the Paris terror attacks. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday January 14, 2016. Currently the Metropolitan Police have around 2,200 trained marksmen and this is set to rise by 600. See PA story POLICE Firearms. Photo credit should read: John Stillwell/PA Wire
Image:
(File pic)

I have spoken publicly in recent weeks about the need to let the police police. Our commitment to delivering change in the Met is unflinching and we are making positive progress, but that progress is undermined by a system not set up to help officers succeed. I have identified pursuits and use of force as areas where we see the most glaring unfairness.

I make no comment on any ongoing matters that are sub judice but the issues raised in this letter go back further.

Accountability matters, but we should not have allowed ourselves to develop a system where police officers get investigated for safely pursuing suspects, just because the suspect acts recklessly and as a result injures themselves or someone else.

This is unfair on our officers and discourages them from chasing down criminals.

Armed officers know they need to justify their actions, especially when lethal force is used. They are extremely well trained and an intrinsic part of their training reinforces that shots can only be fired if absolutely necessary to save life.

Officers are individually responsible and accountable for their actions. Consequently, we have one of the safest models of armed policing in the world.

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Will armed officer’s murder charge force change in how police shootings are reported?

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Will armed officer's murder charge force change in how police shootings are reported?

Britain’s streets without the specialist firearms officers and armed response vehicles that are dotted around major cities will be more dangerous places.

The army is being called in as back-up to the officers withdrawing their service but they do not have the experience to deal with the split-second decisions that are made every day by the police.

As then head of specialist operations, Sir Mark Rowley was the man responsible for the expansion in the number of firearms officers in London.

It was designed to deal with the threat that emerged from the marauding firearms attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and Paris in 2015.

Thankfully, that threat has never materialised, although the officers were called in to deal with the terrorist knife attacks in Woolwich in 2013, London Bridge in 2017 and Fishmongers’ Hall in 2019.

However, the same officers deal with 4,000 incidents involving firearms or suspected firearms every year.

They discharge their weapons on fewer than two of those but when they do the results can have a devastating effect on the officers themselves and on community relations.

More on Chris Kaba

Azelle Rodney was shot dead in April 2005
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Azelle Rodney

There have been a small number of controversial shootings, most notably that of Azelle Rodney in 2005 and Mark Duggan in 2011, that led to the London riots that summer.

In the case of Azelle Rodney, following an inquiry finding that his killing was “not justified”, PC Anthony Long was eventually charged with murder, nine years after the shooting, and acquitted at trial.

In Mark Duggan’s case, an inquest jury found that he was lawfully killed, three years after the shooting, and no officer faced charges.

Mark Duggan
Image:
Mark Duggan

The process of charging officers with murder or manslaughter is a fraught one, but in the case of Chris Kaba, it has proceeded more quickly than usual, as the Independent Office for Police Conduct collected body-worn footage, CCTV, witness statements and forensics before passing their file to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS decided to charge the officer NX121, with murder, for shooting Mr Kaba through the windscreen of the Audi he was driving in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham.

The vehicle was being followed, having been identified as used in a firearms incident the previous day, but Mr Kaba was unarmed.

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Kaba: Officer charged with murder

The investigation and charge process took a little over a year but it has given rise to fears among firearms officers across the country that they are being judged for doing their jobs.

The details of the case cannot be discussed because of laws in Britain that mean the case against the officer could be prejudiced by reporting.

That is one of the things Sir Mark, now the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, would like to change but he would also like the CPS to strengthen the legal protection for officers who use force.

Read more from Sky News:
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Father’s search for answers to daughter’s death

Offering his support to his officers, Sir Mark wrote to the Home Secretary on Sunday, voicing their concern “that even if they stick to the tactics and training they have been given, they will face years of protracted legal proceedings”.

However, there is another dimension to the debate.

Riot police look on as smoke rises from burning buildings in Tottenham, north London
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Riot police look on as smoke rises from burning buildings in Tottenham, north London, in 2011

In the case of Mark Duggan, the issue that provoked the London riots, was the belief in Tottenham that a criminal of Duggan’s experience would not have pointed a firearm at an armed police officer – and that he had, in effect, been executed.

Policing in Britain is performed by consent, and the police in London, and elsewhere, continue to face a challenge in the narrative that arose in Tottenham.

They are trained to believe that criminals will attempt to shoot them, but the reality, some believe, is very different.

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