UK COMEDIAN TURNED social media influencer Russel Brand has been accused of multiple counts of sexual assault and abusive behaviour in a joint report carried out by a number of British news outlets. Brand has denied the allegations. 

The investigative report was conducted by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches. It involved years of work during which reporters interviewed hundreds of sources who knew or worked with Brand. 

In addition to the interviews, the report features emails and text messages sent between Brand and his accusers.  

Four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame, working for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 as well as starring in Hollywood films.

He also faces allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour. 

In a video published today, Brand refuted the allegations and suggested the joint report from media outlets amounted to an attack on him brought on by his criticism of mainstream media narratives. 

In his video statement Brand, who made his struggles with drug and sex addiction a central part of his public persona, said that all relationships he had a during the height of his fame were consensual. 

“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he said.

“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies and as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.

Channel 4 will air their Dispatches report on the subject at 9pm this evening. 

With additional reporting from Press Association