Russell Brand news: Police urge ‘victims’ to come forward as comedian denies Dispatches allegations

Cabinet minister James Cleverly said there are questions for the TV industry to answer after Russell Brand faced allegations of rape and sexual assault, which the comedian vehemently denies.

Four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013, when Mr Brand was working for the BBC Radio and Channel 4.

Mr Cleverly told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that he thought “sadly” there were wider questions to answer for the entertainment industry in the wake of the claims.

A charity supporting women and mothers struggling with substance abuse and addiction have cut ties with comedian Russell Brand.

Trevi Women said they were “deeply saddened” by the allegations and had ended their association with Brand and his Stay Free Foundation.

In a full statement, they said: “We are deeply saddened and upset by the stories reported on this evening’s Channel 4 Dispatches programme regarding Russell Brand.

“Russell became aware of our charity in 2022 after hearing about some of the incredible mothers we have helped to become drug-free over the years. He wanted to support our cause and raise money through his Stay Free Foundation.

“Today’s media revelations have been difficult to process but our priority remains and continues to be the safety and well-being of all women and girls now and in the future. We have ended our association with Russell Brand and the Stay Free Foundation.

“As a charity whose values put women’s voices at the heart of what we do, we always prioritise supporting women affected by violence and abuse and empower them to live without violence and fear. We understand that for some women, today’s media content could be triggering, and for those who may need support, please contact The Survivor Pathway.”

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has suggested there are wider questions for the entertainment industry to answer after Russell Brand faced allegations about his conduct, which the comedian and actor vehemently denies.

Mr Cleverly told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I think there are some real challenges where you have these very, very acute differentials in power, whether that be in the entertainment industry, whether that be in politics and we see this in the commercial world as well.

“I think we have to be particularly careful when we listen to the voices of the people who are relatively powerless because we, I think, collectively have missed opportunities to do the right thing and intervene much, much earlier, and we’ve got to be better at this.”

Pressed on whether there are questions for the industry, Mr Cleverly replied: “Sadly, I think there are.”

James Cleverly has spoken of the dangers of “sharp differentials in power” after Russell Brand was accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse.

The Foreign Secretary did not comment specifically on the allegations, which Brand denies.

He told the Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme on Sky News that he believed there was a “particular problem, where you have environments where there are very, very sharp differentials in power”.

He said: “We see that in the film industry, the entertainment industry and sadly, of course, we sit in the area that I work in terms of politics, where you have very, very significant power differentials, long working hours, people in that environment.

“Now, that is absolutely no excuse for individual misconduct and people have to take responsibility for their own conduct.

“In those environments, I think institutionally we need to be particularly vigilant. We need to make sure that we are going out of our way to protect the people that have less power than those around them. We need to respond to their concerns very, very quickly when they are highlighted.”

Police have encouraged any potential victims to come forward after comedian Russell Brand was accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotionally abusing four women.

Scotland Yard said it was “aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault”, after the allegations unearthed in a joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches were published on Saturday.

The audio was played in Channel 4’s Dispatches programme on Saturday.

Scandal-ridden comedian. Hollywood husband. Drug addict-turned-wellness-guru. Left-wing activist. Conspiracy theorist.

Over the course of two decades in the spotlight, the British stand-up and presenter Russell Brand has put forward many different personas to the public.

Now, another, darker side to the comic has emerged, after he released a video to deny “serious criminal allegations from four women, one as young as 16, covering period from 2006 to 2013”, which he said related to his “promiscuous” past.

Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse while he was at the height of his fame.

Four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013, while the comedian and actor also faces allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour, following a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.

Brand strenuously denies the allegations.

Here is a timeline of the allegations made against Brand:

A woman claims she was sexually assaulted by Brand during a three-month relationship when she was 16 and still at school in 2006.