British comedian Russell Brand charged with rape

British comedian and actor Russell Brand (right) denied rape and sexual assault allegations on April 4 after being charged with five offences by London's Metropolitan Police.

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LONDON -

Brand, 49, was charged with one count of rape, indecent assault and oral rape and two counts of sexual assault, the police said. The charges relate to offences alleged to have taken place between 1999 and 2005 involving four women.

In a video response on X, Brand denied the charges. "I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was was a rapist. I've never engaged in non-consensual activity," he said in the video.

Ms Jaswant Narwal, of Britain's Crown Prosecution Service, said prosecutors had "authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Russell Brand with a number of sexual offences".