Not as nice as he looks, it’s probably fair to say about comedian Russell Brand. Four women who spoke to The Sunday Times and the Channel 4 Dispatches programme have accused him of serious sexual assault, including one alleging rape. The Metropolitan Police has begun an investigation in a number of ‘non-recent’ sexual allegations against him, which may go further than the ones reported initially.
Mr Brand has denied all the original allegations. He maintains that all his sexual relations were consensual. It’s rather a low bar, that —not precluding any amount of bad behaviour — but it’s an important bar nonetheless. In other words, he is denying criminal coercion of women into sexual relations. He may have behaved like a complete beast, but he’s denying that he broke the law.
