Prank branded 'hurtful' to rape victims

He said he was ‘devastated by the possibility that I may have offended vulnerable people’ after the onstage prank was widely reported.

The comic called a crime hotline during his show in Northampton on Saturday night, claiming to have seen the so-called ‘underpass attacker’, who has pounced on at least two women in the town.

He said he had ‘had someone very near my underpass’ who was ‘dressed like Timmy Mallett’ in polka-dot trousers and a pink cap.

However, not everyone was amused by the stunt. Lynda Yorke, of Leicester Rape Crisis, said: ‘It’s in very poor taste. The issue of sexual assault is often belittled and such callous behaviour is extremely hurtful to the victims.’

Northamptonshire police warned people against making hoax calls but did not say whether any further action would be taken against Brand.

The clip had been posted on YouTube, but has since been removed.

Issuing his apology, Brand said that jokes about rape were not necessarily out of bounds.

‘I maintain that through discourse we can illuminate these dark behaviours,’ he said in a statement. ‘but that ought not to be at the expense of people's feelings. I appreciate the seriousness of the issue.’

During the call, which lasted about three minutes, the police employee asked why there was laughter in the background, and claimed it was from the TV in the background. The operator ended the call after the star began to serenade her down the phone.

Published: 16 Jul 2008