Russell Model has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse following an investigation by Channel 4, The Occasions and The Sunday Occasions.

The actor, comic and presenter had already denied what he termed “very severe prison allegations” in a video that was launched yesterday night (September 15). Within the video, Model insisted that his relationships have at all times been consensual.

The allegations in opposition to Model relate to a seven 12 months interval “on the peak of his fame” between 2006 and 2013 based on The Sunday Occasions and are available from 4 girls, one among whom was 16 on the time. On the time of the allegations, Model was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4.

One of many girls alleged that Model raped her in opposition to a wall in his LA dwelling and that she went on to be handled at a rape disaster centre the identical day. One other alleged that Model assaulted her when she was aged 16 throughout an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship.

A 3rd girl claims that Model sexually assaulted her in Los Angeles and later threatened to take authorized motion if she spoke in regards to the allegation to anybody else. A fourth girl described being sexually assaulted by Model and likewise claimed he was each bodily and emotionally abusive in direction of her.

In his video assertion forward of the claims being printed right now, Model stated he “completely” denied the prison allegations regarding his private life, which he stated have been outlined in two “extraordinarily disturbing letters” to him.

Model stated he obtained the letters from a “mainstream media TV firm” and a newspaper which he stated included a “litany of extraordinarily egregious and aggressive assaults”.

“Amidst this litany of astonishing, slightly baroque assaults are some very severe allegations that I completely refute,” he stated.

“These allegations pertain to the time after I was working within the mainstream, after I was within the newspapers on a regular basis, after I was within the motion pictures, and as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I used to be very, very promiscuous.”

He continued: “Now throughout that point of promiscuity the relationships I had have been completely, at all times consensual. I used to be at all times clear about that then, virtually too clear, and I’m being clear about it now as properly.

“To see that transparency metastasised into one thing prison, that I completely deny, makes me query – is there one other agenda at play?”

Model added that he believed he was part of a “coordinated assault”, likening it to the controversy within the media round Joe Rogan selling ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 (regardless of it not being endorsed as an efficient therapy).

That is taking place pic.twitter.com/N8zIKLbJN2

— Russell Model (@rustyrockets) September 15, 2023

“I don’t thoughts them utilizing my books and my stand-up to speak about my promiscuous consensual conduct up to now. What I critically refute are these very, very severe prison allegations.”

He went on to assert that he knew of witnesses whose proof “immediately contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media shops are attempting to assemble.”

“I really feel like I’m being attacked, and clearly, they’re working very intently collectively.”

Model stated he would to “look into” the matter, re-emphasising that he noticed it as “very, very severe”.

In response to the joint investigation, a BBC spokesperson additionally commented. Model’s time on the BBC resulted in 2008 after he and presenter Jonathan Ross left a collection of lewd reply telephone messages for actor Andrew Sachs. In them, Model claimed he had intercourse with the late-actor’s granddaughter. Model and Radio 2’s controller give up, whereas Ross was suspended.

In an announcement, the BBC advised The Sunday Occasions: “Russell Model labored for quite a lot of totally different organisations, of which the BBC was one.

“As is well-known, Russell Model left the BBC after a severe editorial breach in 2008 – as did the then-controller of Radio 2. The circumstances of the breach have been reviewed intimately on the time. We hope that demonstrates that the BBC takes points critically and is ready to behave.

“Certainly, the BBC has, over successive years, developed its method to the way it manages expertise and the way it offers with complaints or points raised.

“We are going to at all times hearken to folks if they arrive ahead with any issues, on any difficulty associated to any particular person working on the BBC, previous or current.”

A spokesman for Channel 4 added: “Channel 4 is appalled to be taught of those deeply troubling allegations together with behaviour alleged to have taken place on programmes made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007. We’re decided to know the complete nature of what went on. We’ve got carried out in depth doc searches and have discovered no proof to counsel the alleged incidents have been delivered to the eye of Channel 4.

“We are going to proceed to overview this in gentle of any additional data we obtain, together with the accounts of these affected people. We can be asking the manufacturing firm who produced the programmes for Channel 4 to analyze these allegations and report their findings correctly and satisfactorily to us.”

NME has reached out to representatives of Model, the BBC and Channel 4 for remark.

For assist, recommendation or extra data concerning sexual harassment, assault and rape within the UK, go to the Rape Disaster charity web site. Within the US, go to RAINN.