Comedian Russell Brand denies ‘criminal allegations’ about rape, sexual assault

British comedian Russell Brand is denying allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse over a seven-year period.

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The “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” actor, 48, is accused of sexual assault by four women between 2006 and 2013, Variety reported.

Brand published a video on his social media accounts on Friday and denied the claims he said he received in a “letter and an email” from a “mainstream media TV company” and “a newspaper,” according to CNN.

Brand did not name the news organizations, but The Times and The Sunday Times of London, along with Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, both shared an “exclusive” joint story about the alleged attacks.

The comedian denied the allegations and said his relationships have been “always consensual,” the BBC reported.

“The relationships that I had were absolutely always consensual,” Brand said in his video. “I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent. And I’m being transparent about it now.”

Brand has questioned mainstream media reporting and endorses conspiracy theories, according to Deadline.

“It’s been clear to me, or at least it feels to me, like there’s a serious and concerted agenda to control these kind of spaces and these kind of voices,” Brand said in his video. “I don’t mind them using my books and my stand-up to talk about my promiscuous consensual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations.”

According to the stories by The Times and Channel 4, one woman alleged that Brand raped her at his Los Angeles home, the BBC reported. A second woman alleged that Brand assaulted her when he was in his early 30s and she was 16, according to the news organization.

A third woman claimed that Brand sexually assaulted her when she worked with him in Los Angeles and threatened to take legal action if she told anyone about her allegation, the BBC reported.

A fourth woman alleged that Brand sexually assaulted her and was physically and emotionally abusive toward her, according to the news organization.

Brand has led a controversial career. In his books, he claimed he was fired from his MTV U.K. job after coming to work the day after the September 11 attacks in the U.S. dressed as Osama bin Laden, Variety reported. He has also written about his drug use and sex life, according to the magazine.

The Sunday Times said it gave Brand eight days within which to reply to the detailed allegations, the BBC reported.

“Now I don’t want to get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations but I feel like I’m being attacked and plainly they are working very closely together,” Brand said in his video. “We are obviously going to look into this matter because it’s very, very serious. In the meantime I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that if you can please stay free.”

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