LONDON: Police in London on Monday said they had received a report of alleged sexual assault, after media revelations about the British comedian and actor Russell Brand.
A joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 television on Saturday published claims from four women of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse against Brand. Brand, 48, strongly denied the allegations, which are said to have taken place between 2006 and 2013, in a video statement released on Friday night.
He maintained that his relationships have always been “consensual”, even during a period when he admitted being “very, very promiscuous”. The Times and Sunday Times on Monday said more women had come forward to make claims about his behaviour in the early 2000s, without giving further details.
The revelations come amid criticism of how sexual assault cases are handled in the criminal justice system in the UK, as well as how media organisations have handled similar accusations of inappropriate behaviour by big-name stars.
In a short statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “On Sunday September 17, the Met received a report of a sexual assault which was alleged to have taken place in Soho in central London in 2003.