London's Metropolitan Police have confirmed they have launched an investigation after receiving a "number of allegations of sexual assault," following media reports about comedian Russell Brand.

The police released a statement which read: "Following an investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times, the Met has received a number of allegations of sexual assault in London. "We have also received a number of allegations of sexual offences committed elsewhere in the country and will investigate these. The offences are non-recent. "Officers will be offering specialist support to all of the women who have made allegations. The investigation is being carried out by detectives in the Met's Central Criminalist Crime Command, led by Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy." [caption id="attachment_589102" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Credit: Getty[/caption] Last Monday the Met reported that they had received one report of alleged sexual assault from 2003 and encouraged any potential victims to come forward. Brand has denied all of the allegations made against him and claimed that any relationships he had in the past have been consensual. The comedian urged his fans to support him financially by subscribing to his Rumble channel, a video platform popular among right-wing commentators. Brand went live on the platform to an audience of over 70,000 viewers after his YouTube channel was demonetised, telling his followers to "oppose increasingly authoritarian centralised power". He pleaded with his fans to support him and said: "If you're watching this on YouTube or anywhere else you're eventually going to have to click the link in the description and join us over on Rumble and if you can become a supporter it's the only way that you can back our independent voice at a time where it's obviously being challenged." [caption id="attachment_589103" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Credit: Getty[/caption] Brand went on to add: "You now know that I have been demonetised on You Tube...fully well aware that the government wrote to social media platforms and demand that I be censored." It is believed that Brand was referring to a letter written by Dame Caroline Dinenage, the chairman of the Culture, Media and Sports Committee, who called on Rumble to follow YouTube and cut off the comedian's revenue.

Read more:

• Shakira could face over eight years in prison as she's charged with new offences
• Superdrug to stop selling single-use vapes in Irish and UK stores
• Lucy Letby set to face retrial on attempted murder charge