Footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows Russell Brand being questioned by officers in custody in 2023 over allegations of rape and sexual assault. The 51-year-old comedian and TV presenter was found guilty of raping one fan and sexually assaulting three women during his showbiz career.
The CCTV footage shows Brand wearing a black jumper featuring a white star, with his hair tied back, appearing sombre as he reads from a piece of paper, setting out his defence to police.
Defence Statement to Police
In the interview, Brand claimed that women accusing him of rape and sexual assault had “reimagined” previous consensual encounters. Although he said he did not recognise the names of those making allegations against him, Brand claimed it was “entirely possible” that he had encountered them and that they had “engaged in consensual sexual activity or physical contact”.
He went on to suggest that the women had subsequently “reimagined” those encounters, maintaining that any sexual activity had been consensual. Brand denied ever engaging in non-consensual sexual activity and said he had repeatedly spoken out about his previous “promiscuous life”.
Statement on Documentary and Allegations
In his police statement, Brand said: “On the 16th of September, 2023, the defamatory and fictitious documentary was broadcast in conjunction with the publication of two national newspapers containing false anonymised allegations, which led to unprecedented media reporting.”
He added: “Subsequently, both the media and the police publicly invited additional allegations to be made, which as resulted in further encounters being invented or reimagined. At present, I do not recall the names of complainants or meeting them. However, it's entirely possible that I may have encountered them and that we may have engaged in consensual sexual activity or physical contact that's been since reimagined.”
Context of the Investigation
The footage follows a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, in which five women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault, coercive behaviour and emotional abuse. During the police interview, Brand also referred to his history of kissing members of the public at press events, saying he had “shared kisses with hundreds of members of the public during press events and photos of many such kisses in front of people, in front of hundreds of people were available online”.
He added that, whenever he was in public, he was conscious that his actions could be captured on camera, either through photographs or video footage. In separate footage, Brand appears to be holding what looks like a Bible. The comedian publicly embraced Christianity and was baptised in the River Thames in 2024. Brand now faces years in prison after the guilty verdicts.
