British Actor Accused of Sexual Assaults… BBC Investigates

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced today, Sunday, that it is "urgently investigating the issues" raised concerning the involvement of one of its former presenters in sexual assaults. Russell Brand (48 years old), a British actor who worked as a presenter at the BBC between 2006 and 2008 and was married to American singer Katy Perry, denied on Saturday the "extremely serious criminal allegations," which were not specified. Hours later, The Sunday Times published allegations of his involvement in sexual assaults, including rape, before this news was aired on Channel 4. The Times and the documentary program "Dispatches" reported that the alleged incidents took place between 2006 and 2013, stating that one woman accused him of rape while another claimed Brand assaulted her when she was 16 years old. The newspaper mentioned that two of the accusers reported that the events occurred in Los Angeles. A BBC spokesperson stated in a statement that "the documentary and the related reports contain serious allegations spanning several years. Russell Brand worked on a BBC radio program between 2006 and 2008, and we are urgently investigating the issues raised." The police stated in a statement, "If anyone has been a victim of sexual assault, regardless of how long ago it occurred, we encourage them to contact the police."