London
cnn
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London’s Metropolitan Police said it had launched an investigation into allegations of “non-recent” sexual offenses in the UK, after a joint British media investigation revealed that the comedian russell brand He was accused of rape and sexual assault.
“Following an investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times, the Met has received a number of allegations of sexual offenses in London,” police said in a statement on Monday.
“We have also received a number of reports of sexual crimes committed in other parts of the country and we will investigate these. All crimes are not recent,” he added.
The brand has publicly made denied the allegations and accused the UK government of attempting to censor him.
Detectives from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command, led by Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, will carry out the investigation, according to the Met statement.
“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual crime, no matter how long ago, to contact us,” he said.
“We understand this may seem like a difficult step to take and I want to reassure you that we have a team of specialist officers available to advise and support.”
Brand became famous as a comedian and actor, but in recent years he created a YouTube channel that has been accused of promoting conspiracy theories, including Covid denialism.
Since the allegations surfaced, YouTube has demonetized Brand’s channel and his live tour has been postponed.
The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches published an investigation in which four women alleged that Brand sexually assaulted them in separate cases between 2006 and 2013. One of the women said she was 16 and Brand was 31 at the time of the shooting. alleged assault. in London.
Downing Street described the allegations made in the documentary as “very serious and worrying”.
“The Metropolitan Police has asked anyone who believes they have been a victim of sexual assault to come forward to speak to officers,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said in a statement after the documentary aired.
The Met announced last week that they were investigating a sexual assault accusation in 2003.
Without naming Brand, a Met spokesperson said: “We are aware of reports in The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches about allegations of sexual offences.
“On Sunday 17 September, the Met received a report of a sexual assault which allegedly took place in Soho, central London, in 2003. Officers are in contact with the woman and will provide support.”