Brand, who was once married to pop star Katy Perry, is charged with rape, sexual assault not involving rape, oral rape and two other counts of sexual assault, police said. The charges relate to crimes that allegedly took place between 1999 and 2005 and involved four women, according to the French news agency AFP.

Jaswant Narwal, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said the Metropolitan Police had been given the authority to charge Brando with a number of sexual offences today. He said the police investigation into the allegations, which emerged after the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary in September 2023, had carefully considered the evidence and had concluded that Brando should be charged with the offences of rape, sexual assault and sexual assault not involving rape.

Investigation still open

Police say the investigation remains open and are urging anyone affected by this incident or who has any information to contact them.

Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999, and of oral rape and sexual assault on a woman in 2004 in the Westminster area of London. He is also accused of indecent assault on a woman in 2001 and of sexual assault on another woman between 2004 and 2005, both in the Westminster area.

Born in 1975 to a working-class family in Essex, east of London, Brand began his career as a stand-up comedian as a teenager. He appeared on stage as a provocative comedian, then transformed into a Hollywood star, then an anti-establishment guru and still has millions of online fans, AFP reports.