Russell Brand Investigated Over Two Further Rape Complaints

What changed

Russell Brand is being investigated over rape complaints from two additional women, police say. The investigation follows his conviction at Southwark Crown Court for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault after a three-week trial.

Brand was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The Metropolitan Police has taken more than 340 witness statements in Operation Actinolite, which began after allegations were publicly reported in September 2023.

Why it matters

The conviction has changed the scale of the case. Police are now examining two further complaints while the outcome of that investigation remains unknown.

The allegations being investigated are non-recent. The earliest dates back 27 years, leaving officers without CCTV or forensic evidence in some cases. They instead built the case through witness accounts, statements about what women said afterwards, and material connected to Brand’s work.

That helps explain why the new investigation matters even though it is at an early stage: the police process is still expanding after the trial, but no conclusion has been reached about the two new complaints.