Andrew Tate, Elon Musk and GB News hosts rally round Russell Brand following allegations

Billionaire Elon Musk, controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and a GB News presenter are amongst those who have offered support to Russell Brand after he was accused of rape and sexual assault.

On Saturday The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches published a long-running investigation into the comedian and actor, which saw four women come forward with allegations, dating between 2006 and 2013.

Mr Brand said he “absolutely refuted” the allegations in a video he posted on YouTube on Friday night before the investigation was published.

In the video, Mr Brand – who has previously been accused of promoting alt-right conspiracy theories online – suggested he was the subject of a “co-ordinated attack” by the “mainstream media”.

Twitter owner Elon Musk appeared to offer his support to Mr Brand in his response to the video, writing: “Of course. They don’t like competition.”

Social media influencer Andrew Tate, who has been charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania, tweeted: “Welcome to the club @‌rustyrockets”, alongside a picture with the caption: “On my way to fight the crazy b—h allegations”.

Mr Tate has denied the charges against him.

Meanwhile, GB News presenter Beverley Turner said Mr Brand was being “attacked” and was “welcome” on her show “anytime”.

“Establishment media don’t know what to do with the fact that you have 6million subscribers & generate autonomous, knowing and original content,” she tweeted.

“You are welcome on my @GBNEWS show anytime. We are mainstream media. But we are not Establishment media. There’s a difference. Keep going. This proves you are winning. You’re a hero.”

Laurence Fox of the fringe Reclaim party meanwhile claimed that Mr Brand is an “innocent man” until he is “charged and found guilty”.

He described the Dispatches documentary as “profoundly dull” and “the limpest hit piece ever”.

He added: “If you believe in justice being done and seen to be done, please contact the appropriate police force with your allegations, rather than trying and sentencing a man in the dying legacy media.”

The Sunday Times said its journalists interviewed hundreds of sources who knew or worked with Mr Brand, reviewing private emails and text messages as well as medical records from one woman who attended a rape treatment centre after an alleged encounter with Mr Brand in June 2012.

It published text messages between a number apparently belonging to Mr Brand and the woman.

In the texts, she wrote: “When a girl say[s] NO it means no. Do I have to go and get myself tested?”

The number allegedly belonging to Mr Brand responded: “You don’t need to get tested. I will make this up to you somehow with live [sic] and kindness. Not my original idea which was more sex. You’ve been lovely to me and I’m embarrassed by my behaviour. Sorry. X.”

The Sunday Times said records from the time show she did not make a police report as she did not think her words “would mean anything up against his” and “believed her name will be dragged through the dirt”.

Other allegations came from a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Mr Brand in 2006 when she was aged 16 and a woman who said she was sexually assaulted while working with Mr Brand.