Six more women accuse Russell Brand of misconduct, newspapers report

The British newspapers The Times and Sunday Times have published an investigation in which six more women accuse Russell Brand, a 51-year-old British comedian and actor, of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour. The report follows Monday's sentencing at Southwark crown court in London, where Brand received a prison term of more than 10 years for raping a 21-year-old fan and sexually assaulting three women in separate incidents between 2004 and 2009. He was cleared of two further rape charges and one of attempted indecent assault.

The new allegations

The women describe a range of episodes. One says Brand had sex with her without consent and apologised afterwards. Another, who was 19 when she queued to meet him in 2007, alleges he continued during sex after she told him it was painful and asked him to stop.

A third woman, then in her late 20s, says that after he performed at The Chapel venue in San Francisco in 2013, he manhandled her and forced his hand down her trousers. Another, then in her mid-twenties, says he approached her at a music festival in 2005 and offered to pay her for sex. A woman who won a BBC 6 Music competition in 2006 and was invited onto his show says he later told her to lick a toilet seat at his house. A sixth, who worked at a London venue in 2015, says she was sent to him by a member of his staff and that he grabbed her in the disabled toilets.

Responses and context

The newspapers say the allegations could not be reported until the criminal case ended, to avoid prejudicing proceedings. They say extensive steps were taken to corroborate the claims and that no sources were paid. Brand has previously denied wrongdoing and said all his relationships were consensual. His lawyer reportedly said he would consider injunctive relief but did not respond to the allegations.

Prime minister Andy Burnham said the media industry needs to look at itself and step forward to protect women and girls.