London authorities said they launched an investigation into allegations of sexual offenses, following multiple media reports in which several women accused actor and comedian Russell Brand of rape and sexual assault.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) confirmed to The Hill on Monday that it has received a number of allegations of sexual offenses following several media outlets’ investigation into the matter.
The Sunday Times, along with The Times and Channel 4, all published an investigative report in which four women accused Brand of sexually assaulting them in separate instances within a seven-year span.
“We have also received a number of allegations of sexual offences committed elsewhere in the country and will investigate these. The offences are all non-recent,” MPS said in its statement.
MPS also said that its Central Specialist Crime Command unit will conduct its investigation into Brand, according to CNN. The unit is led by Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy.
“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us,” Furphy said in a separate statement.
“We understand it can feel like a difficult step to take, and I want to reassure that we have a team of specialist officers available to advise and support.”
MPS’s announcement comes a week after a number of British politicians called on local authorities to launch an investigation into the allegations against the comedian, with the spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying that the allegations should be “treated seriously and treated with sensitivity.”
Brand, 48, has denied the allegations against him, saying that his relationships with those women were “always consensual.”
This story was updated at 4:16 p.m.