Russell Brand now being investigated by Thames Valley Police over claims of harassment and stalking
2 October 2023, 12:37
Thames Valley police has confirmed that it is investigating allegations against Russell Brand.
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The comedian 48, is accused of numerous sex attacks on several women in the UK and California spanning from 2003 to 2013.
Brand, 48, strenuously denies the claims against him, saying his relationships were always consensual.
It has now emerged that a second force, Thames Valley police, has launched its own investigation into claims made against Brand.
The force covers Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, where Brand lives with his family.
It said it was investigating “information in relation to the harassment and stalking allegations” made by a woman.
It comes after the Metropolitan Police confirmed last week it has launched a full investigation into the comedian after saying it had received a number of sexual offence allegations against Brand in London and elsewhere in the country.
Police logs at Thames Valley police reportedly show that a woman has accused Brand of being a “sex predator”, the MailOnline revealed.
Read more: Russell Brand pleads with fans to pay £48 a year fee after YouTube cuts him off
According to the logs, the woman and Brand struck up a friendship in 2015. Later on, they both accused each other of harassment.
It is understood the force had previously looked into the woman’s allegations but dismissed them.
The force is now re-examining the case after the woman recontacted the force last week with “new information in relation to the harassment and stalking allegations”, Thames Valley Police said.
“This information is being investigated, as such it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation,” the force said.
Investigations against Brand came after a joint examination into claims against the star by Channel 4 and the Sunday Times. As the claims were broadcast, the force asked people to come forward.
Previously, in a YouTube video in which he railed against the mainstream media, Brand said the accusations amounted to a series of "extremely egregious and aggressive attacks".
He said they were "some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute" when they first emerged earlier in September.
"What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations," he said, adding that all his relationships had been consensual.
"Also, it's worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently, in what seems to me to be a coordinated attack.
"Now, I don't want to get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations, but I feel like I'm being attacked and plainly they're working very closely together."
The comedian took a seven-day hiatus from social media after the allegations emerged against him but he has since returned to making regular posts on ‘free speech’ platform Rumble after he was blocked from earning revenue on YouTube.
