UK police urged to investigate sex assault allegations against comedian Russell Brand

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A senior British politician is urging police to investigate sexual assault allegations against comedian and actor Russell Brand. Four women told a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers that Brand assaulted them. One says she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012. Legislator Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged police in both Britain and the United States to investigate the “incredibly shocking” allegations. Brand denies all the claims, saying his relationships were “always consensual.” The allegations raise questions about whether the comedian’s behavior went unchallenged because of his fame.