Senior British politicians urge police to probe sexual assault allegations in opposition to Russell Brand

By Associated Press

LONDON: Senior British politicians on Monday urged police to analyze sexual assault allegations in opposition to Russell Brand, because the UK leisure business confronted questions on whether or not the “bad behavior” of the rape-accused Brand went unchallenged due to his fame.

Brand denies allegations of sexual assault made by 4 girls in a Channel 4 tv documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who haven’t been named, embrace one who mentioned she was sexually assaulted throughout a relationship with him when she was 16. Another girl says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.

Brand, 48, has rejected all of the claims, saying in a video assertion that his relationships have been “always consensual.”

The Times mentioned Monday that extra girls had contacted the newspaper with allegations in opposition to Brand and they might be “rigorously checked.”

Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, mentioned the claims have been “very serious and concerning,” and people making the allegations must be “treated seriously and treated with sensitivity.”

Conservative legislator Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged police in each Britain and the United States to analyze the “incredibly shocking” allegations.

“This merits and needs a criminal investigation, because 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 behaviors and their actions,” she advised BBC radio.

London’s Metropolitan Police drive mentioned it might converse to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to make sure “any victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.”

The claims have renewed debate concerning the “lad culture” that flourished in Britain within the Nineties and early 2000s, and the misogyny that also percolates on the web.

The allegations reported by the newspapers and Channel 4 cowl the interval between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a serious star in Britain with a rising US profile.

Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, he hosted exhibits on radio and tv, wrote memoirs charting his battles with medicine and alcohol, appeared in a number of Hollywood motion pictures and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

Brand was suspended by the BBC in 2008 for making lewd prank calls to “Fawlty Towers” actor Andrew Sachs through which he boasted about having intercourse with Sachs’ granddaughter. He give up his radio present within the wake of the incident, which drew 1000’s of complaints to the publicly funded broadcaster.

The BBC, Channel 4 and the manufacturing firm behind the “Big Brother” actuality collection – spinoffs of which have been hosted by Brand — all say they’ve launched investigations into Brand’s habits and the way complaints have been dealt with.

Brand additionally has been dropped by expertise company Tavistock Wood, which mentioned it had been “horribly misled” by him.

Supporters of Brand requested why the allegations have been being made years after the alleged incidents. The girls mentioned that they solely felt prepared to inform their tales after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s newfound prominence as an internet wellness influencer as an element of their determination to talk.

Victims and the media additionally must take account of Britain’s claimant-friendly libel legal guidelines, which put the burden of proof on these making allegations.

In current years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media however has constructed up a big following on-line with movies mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has greater than 6 million subscribers, contains COVID-19 conspiracies, vaccine misinformation and interviews with right-wing broadcasters together with Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.

He additionally continues to tour as a comic, performing to a whole bunch of individuals in a London venue on Saturday night because the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast.

Ellie Tomsett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at Birmingham City University who research Britain’s standup circuit, mentioned Brand was a product of a reside comedy scene that was riddled with misogyny – and nonetheless is, regardless of progress made by girls and others to diversify the comedian panorama.

“When we’ve had a rise of popular feminism … we’ve also had a rise in popular misogyny epitomized by the likes of (social media influencer) Andrew Tate, but evident in all aspects of society, and definitely reflected on the UK comedy circuit,” Tomsett mentioned

“More and more things are springing up to try and counter this, but the idea that it’s something that happened in the past and doesn’t happen anymore is, quite frankly, nonsense,” she added.

LONDON: Senior British politicians on Monday urged police to analyze sexual assault allegations in opposition to Russell Brand, because the UK leisure business confronted questions on whether or not the “bad behavior” of the rape-accused Brand went unchallenged due to his fame.

Brand denies allegations of sexual assault made by 4 girls in a Channel 4 tv documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who haven’t been named, embrace one who mentioned she was sexually assaulted throughout a relationship with him when she was 16. Another girl says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.

Brand, 48, has rejected all of the claims, saying in a video assertion that his relationships have been “always consensual.”googletag.cmd.push(perform() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

The Times mentioned Monday that extra girls had contacted the newspaper with allegations in opposition to Brand and they might be “rigorously checked.”

Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, mentioned the claims have been “very serious and concerning,” and people making the allegations must be “treated seriously and treated with sensitivity.”

Conservative legislator Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged police in each Britain and the United States to analyze the “incredibly shocking” allegations.

“This merits and needs a criminal investigation, because 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 behaviors and their actions,” she advised BBC radio.

London’s Metropolitan Police drive mentioned it might converse to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to make sure “any victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.”

The claims have renewed debate concerning the “lad culture” that flourished in Britain within the Nineties and early 2000s, and the misogyny that also percolates on the web.

The allegations reported by the newspapers and Channel 4 cowl the interval between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a serious star in Britain with a rising US profile.

Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, he hosted exhibits on radio and tv, wrote memoirs charting his battles with medicine and alcohol, appeared in a number of Hollywood motion pictures and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

Brand was suspended by the BBC in 2008 for making lewd prank calls to “Fawlty Towers” actor Andrew Sachs through which he boasted about having intercourse with Sachs’ granddaughter. He give up his radio present within the wake of the incident, which drew 1000’s of complaints to the publicly funded broadcaster.

The BBC, Channel 4 and the manufacturing firm behind the “Big Brother” actuality collection – spinoffs of which have been hosted by Brand — all say they’ve launched investigations into Brand’s habits and the way complaints have been dealt with.

Brand additionally has been dropped by expertise company Tavistock Wood, which mentioned it had been “horribly misled” by him.

Supporters of Brand requested why the allegations have been being made years after the alleged incidents. The girls mentioned that they solely felt prepared to inform their tales after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s newfound prominence as an internet wellness influencer as an element of their determination to talk.

Victims and the media additionally must take account of Britain’s claimant-friendly libel legal guidelines, which put the burden of proof on these making allegations.

In current years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media however has constructed up a big following on-line with movies mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has greater than 6 million subscribers, contains COVID-19 conspiracies, vaccine misinformation and interviews with right-wing broadcasters together with Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.

He additionally continues to tour as a comic, performing to a whole bunch of individuals in a London venue on Saturday night because the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast.

Ellie Tomsett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at Birmingham City University who research Britain’s standup circuit, mentioned Brand was a product of a reside comedy scene that was riddled with misogyny – and nonetheless is, regardless of progress made by girls and others to diversify the comedian panorama.

“When we’ve had a rise of popular feminism … we’ve also had a rise in popular misogyny epitomized by the likes of (social media influencer) Andrew Tate, but evident in all aspects of society, and definitely reflected on the UK comedy circuit,” Tomsett mentioned

“More and more things are springing up to try and counter this, but the idea that it’s something that happened in the past and doesn’t happen anymore is, quite frankly, nonsense,” she added.