Russell Brand investigated over new abuse claims after people come forward after trial

Russell Brand investigated over new abuse claims after people come forward after trial Detectives are assessing fresh information as part of an ongoing probe into Russell Brand after receiving allegations during and since the conclusion of the former actor's trial Russell Brand is being investigated over new abuse claims after a number of people recently came forward to police. Detectives are assessing the information as part of an ongoing probe into Brand after receiving fresh allegations during and since the conclusion of the 51-year-old's trial. Prosecutors are already considering charging Brand over two further alleged rapes, including one involving a 16-year-old girl. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said on Tuesday: "Several people have contacted the investigation team during and since the trial to provide information or report a potential criminal allegation. Detectives are assessing this information as part of their ongoing enquiries." Brand has spent five nights behind bars since he was convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults last week. The shamed comedian showed no emotion as he was handed a 10-and-a-half year sentence on Monday at Southwark crown court but told his wife, Laura Gallacher, "we'll be OK". He has since been accused of further violence by his former partner Jemima Goldsmith, who claimed after his sentencing that she had to call the police in order to have him removed from her house during a "violent incident". Lucy Powell urges women to come forward Ms Goldsmith, who dated Brand for a year in 2014, wrote she has her own experience of his "violence, coercive control and abuse", and has neither seen nor spoken to the convicted rapist for 12 years. Brand was convicted of raping a 21-year-old fan and sexually assaulting three TV and radio workers during the height of his fame. The Labour Deputy Leader Lucy Powell urged women to “come forward” on Tuesday, saying that they will be believed. Ms Powell claimed things had changed in the past 20 years, and that the convicted rapist would have been “stopped in his tracks sooner” now. Discussing the conviction on Sky News, Ms Powell said: “What I would say to women now, off the back of that, is do come forward when these things happen to you. You will be supported. You will be believed. You will be taken seriously. “Because actually, had we had an environment and a culture, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, where women felt that, then he would have been stopped in his tracks sooner and we would have had less victims as a consequence.” Powell expresses regret over Miliband’s interview with Brand The Education Secretary also expressed "regret" at Ed Miliband’s 2015 general election interview with Brand, saying it took place in a “different era” before the disgraced comedian’s predatory sexual behaviour had been exposed. Mr Miliband, then the Labour leader, appeared on Brand’s online show The Trews as part of his doomed bid to become PM. Ms Powell said: “It was a long time ago, obviously and had I or Ed Miliband or anybody at the time had any sense at all that this was someone who was a sexual predator, who was involved in these sorts of crimes. “I think like anybody who would have paid to go to his show, would have watched him on TV, who was his employer at the time, who had interactions with him – anybody, including those of us who were involved in that at the time – would look back and really regret that, knowing today what we now know. “If there was any suggestion at all, we were dealing with someone who was a known sexual predator at the time then, of course, no one would have done that. “But as I say, he was a well-known public figure. Lots of people, from Hollywood to the BBC to many others, gave this person a very, very powerful platform. We didn’t know at the time and unfortunately, maybe had people come forward or felt able to… it was a different era.” Judge says Brand is 'sexual predator' In his submissions at Monday's hearing, defence barrister Ian Winter KC argued Brand's crimes were the consequence of his fame. Mr Winter said the final offence "happened very shortly after" Brand had met his former wife, singer Katy Perry. Four powerful victim impact statements were delivered to the court, including one who described the fallen star as "a sexual predator who has no remorse for how his behaviour has impacted my life". Another said she feared the sexual assault will "haunt me every day" and the process of reporting the incident "felt like a marathon I had not trained for". Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would be "relentless in making whatever improvements we can" to provide more support for victims, including making sure there are rape and serious sexual offence teams in every police force. Sentencing Brand, Mr Justice Bennathan criticised the comedian's "staggering arrogance" and said he had "become a sexual predator" during his rise to fame. Brand is expected to serve two-thirds of his prison sentence before being released on licence. He will be on the sex offenders' register for life.