British police charged actor-comedian Russell Brand with rape and multiple counts of assault connected to a number of allegations between 1999 and 2005, a police statement on Friday said.

Brand, 50, the former husband of U.S. pop singer Katy Perry and once one of Britain's most high-profile comedians and broadcasters, had repositioned himself in recent years as an internet social commentator.

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

"The [police] 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 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.