The comedian branded everyone in the Tremorfa area of Cardiff a "criminal" during an appearance at the city’s St David’s Hall on Sunday night.

It is the second time the bigmouthed funnyman has enraged locals. Earlier this year, he pulled out of the gig’s original date just 20 minutes before it was due to start.

Russell held up a local weekly newspaper and highlighted an article about the theft of £500 from Tremorfa’s Baden Powell Primary, which nursery school children had raised for charity, The South Wales Echo reported.

Using an audience member’s mobile phone, the paper said he then rang the police.

Holding the microphone up to the mobile phone, the paper said the comedian told the female civilian operator that he had information about a crime.

When asked what the information was, the paper quoted the Radio 2 DJ as saying: "Well, it could have been anyone in Tremorfa really. They are all criminals."

Splott councillor Gavin Cox, who represents the Tremorfa area, invited Russell to see the area.

He said: "As I’m originally from Liverpool I’m well versed in the working class stereotypes that seem to be generated by educated ’luvvies’ and the ’Camden set’.

"It just shows what degree of snobbery these individuals have about areas that are deprived.

"I think Russell Brand’s snide comments are typical of the man himself."


Russell gets damages over drug rape story - June 22 2007
Russell Brand has accepted substantial undisclosed damages over a claim that a girl was drugged and raped during a party at his flat.

The former Big Brother presenter, who is patron of the drug rehabilitation charity Focus 12, was not at London’s High Court for the settlement of his libel action against Express Newspapers.

His solicitor, Paul Fox, told Mr Justice Eady that articles which appeared in the Daily Star in September last year described the victim’s allegations that she was slipped a drugged drink and raped during a party at the star’s rented flat during the Edinburgh festival.

"The meaning of the article was that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that the claimant drugged and raped a young woman. This was totally untrue.

"The claimant was never suspected of the alleged rape nor was there any evidence at all to involve him in its circumstances."

Mr Fox said that Russell was obliged to issue a press statement denying any involvement in the alleged rape.

After the police inquiry in October, the comedian, by a solicitors’ letter, demanded an apology. The solicitor added that the demand for an apology was rejected and, in November, Russell began legal proceedings.

Express Newspapers then made an unqualified offer of amends and, in December, published an apology in the Daily Star.

He added that the newspaper had agreed to pay a substantial sum to compensate the star for the harm to his reputation, and his legal costs.


Russell: I love fame - June 20 2007
Russell Brand has admitted he loves his hard-earned fame, saying his previous life was "so boring".

The former drug addict, who quit the show that made him famous, Big Brother’s Big Mouth, earlier this year, is back on screens tonight playing a stalker in ITV1’s Cold Blood.

He told The Daily Telegraph: "People tell me it must be a great relief to go on holiday and get away from having a high profile, but I always say ’No, I like being famous!’"