British police have charged actor and comedian Russell Brand with rape and multiple counts of assault over a number of allegations between 1999 and 2005.

Brand, 50, the former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry and once one of Britain’s most high-profile comedians and broadcasters.

He had repositioned himself in recent years as an internet social commentator.

Police said Brand, who lives in Oxfordshire, north-west of London, was charged with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault, and that the charges relate to four separate women.

“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police,” the police statement said.

In 2023 the Sunday Times newspaper and Channel 4 TV’s documentary show Dispatches reported that four women had accused Brand of sexual assaults, including a rape, between 2006 and 2013.

Brand has previously stated that he had never had non-consensual sex.

The comedian, author and Get Him To The Greek actor has previously denied allegations against him, saying his relationships were “always consensual.”

Known for his unbridled and risqué stand-up routines, Brand hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to Perry between 2010 and 2012.

In recent years, Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories.

He recently said he had moved to the United States.

– Additional reporting by the Associated Press