Russell Brand has been spotted for the first time since he was publicly accused of rape and sexual assault by multiple women.
The comedian has not been seen in public since the allegations first emerged in September that he had engaged in abusive and predatory behaviour, including rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse, between 2006 and 2013. He has denied all the allegations.
Russell was pictured driving to the pub he owns in Oxfordshire on Thursday in his £90,000 Land Rover Defender to speak to staff about ongoing renovations at the property.
The BBC, Channel 4 and production firm Banijay have launched investigations into Russell’s behaviour, while the Met Police and Thames Valley police said they are probing complaints.
Last month it was revealed that Russell was forced to take down fencing around his village pub after he put it up in breach of planning regulations the day after he was accused of abusive and predatory behaviour.
Sighted: Russell Brand has been seen for the first time since he was accused of rape by multiple women
Sighting: The comedian hasn’t been seen in public since the allegations first emerged in September that he’d engaged in abusive and predatory behaviour
The under-fire comic was slammed after erecting the ‘unauthorised fencing’ after the hessian-coated barriers were put up in front of the Grade-II listed the Crown Inn.
And South Oxfordshire District Council has now confirmed that the star removed the barriers after an investigation by their enforcement team.
Pictures taken on October 7 showed the bare pub exposed again to the public and at the gate a man appears to be patrolling the perimeter in a high-vis long coat as he walks along the flint wall.
Since the scandal engulfed Brand, several residents have complained that on-site security has prevented them from accessing public footpaths leading up the comedian’s home.
Brand, 48, has faced serious allegations of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse from several different woman. He denies all claims and says any sexual encounters were consensual.
Accusations published in The Sunday Times and on Channel 4’s Dispatches in September saw multiple women accusing Brand of abusive and predatory behaviour, including rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse, between 2006 and 2013.
He has vehemently denied the allegations – but the BBC, Channel 4 and production firm Banijay have launched investigations into his behaviour, while the Met Police and Thames Valley police said they are investigating complaints.
After Scotland Yard launched a criminal probe into Russell Brand, Thames Valley Police confirmed it was investigating ‘information in relation to the harassment and stalking allegations’ made by a woman.
Pictured: Russell was pictured driving to his pub in Oxfordshire on Thursday in his £90,000 Land Rover Defender to speak to staff about ongoing renovations at the property
Outrage: Brand, 48, has faced serious allegations of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse from several different woman. He denies all claims
Controversy: Last month it was revealed that Russell was forced to take down fencing around his village pub after he put it up in breach of planning regulations
South Oxfordshire District Council has confirmed last month that the Russell removed the barriers after an investigation by their enforcement team
In the latest allegation, the Mail has seen police logs claiming that the woman accused him of being a ‘sexual predator’.
She lived near Brand and became friendly with him in 2015, before they each accused the other of harassment.
Police are understood to have looked into her claims previously, and dismissed them. Now officers are re-examining the case.
On Saturday, Thames Valley Police said it had been contacted by the woman last week ‘with new information in relation to the harassment and stalking allegations’.
It added: ‘This information is being investigated, as such it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation.’
It comes just days after Russell was accused of sexually assaulting an actress on the set of Arthur in 2010.
In addition to several claims made against him, Brand has been accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in New York on Friday, marking the first such accusation levelled in court.
The woman, only identified as ‘Jane Doe’, claimed she was assaulted while she appeared as an extra in a scene from ‘Arthur’ filmed at Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan in July 2010 – just three months before Brand married pop star Katy Perry.
Statement: After Scotland Yard launched a probe into Russell, Thames Valley Police confirmed it was investigating ‘information in relation to the harassment and stalking allegations’
Family: Russell (pictured with his wife Laura Gallacher in 2017) has since been accused of sexually assaulting an actress on the set of Arthur in 2010
The woman alleges in an affidavit that Brand ‘appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set’ before attacking her. She also claims that he exposed his penis to her while on set.
The affidavit continued: ‘The sexual assault happened later that same day when I was in the bathroom.
‘Mr. Brand entered after me and assaulted me, as a member of the production crew guarded the door from outside.’
The allegation in question comes during a time that Brand was dating pop star Katy Perry.