LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) – British police said on Tuesday that detectives were assessing a number of new reports about comedian Russell Brand in the wake of his jailing for rape and sexual assaults.
Brand, once one of Britain’s most high-profile broadcasters and a Hollywood film star, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years on Monday after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others between 2004 and 2009.
The 51-year-old former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry, who in recent years moved away from the mainstream, had denied all the charges and said he had never had non-consensual sex.
After he was found guilty, detectives said they were investigating two other allegations of rape, one involving a then 16-year-old girl, and London’s police chief they expected more women to come forward. Police said others had now done so.
“Several people have contacted the investigation team during and since the trial to provide information or report a potential criminal allegation,” a police spokesperson said. “Detectives are assessing this information as part of their ongoing enquiries.”
A former girlfriend of Brand, Jemima Goldsmith, wrote on X on Monday that she had called the police about him during an altercation at her house in 2014, but had not pressed any charges.
“I am glad and relieved that Russell Brand has finally faced justice,” she said.
Brand rose to prominence in Britain hosting a spin-off show to “Big Brother” on Channel 4.
During the 2000s, he became a regular fixture on television and radio, and went on to star in a number of films such as “Get Him to the Greek”. In 2010 he married Perry, a relationship that he told his trial had brought him “staggering fame”. The marriage ended after 14 months.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Sam Tobin)
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