Russell Brand pleads not guilty to new rape and sexual assault charges

Comedian and media figure russell brand appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday and entered not guilty pleas to two further sexual offence charges. The new allegations, alleged to have taken place in 2009, arrive as he faces a separate trial date already set for June.

New counts from 2009 and December charging

Prosecutors say the two fresh charges comprise one count of rape and one count of sexual assault, and that the alleged offences took place in the city in 2009 and relate to two women, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Brand had been charged in December with those counts and attended a plea and trial preparation hearing on Tuesday morning at Southwark Crown Court.

Earlier allegations, five original charges and a June trial

Brand has previously denied two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault in relation to alleged offences between 1999 and 2005. Those earlier allegations are said to involve four women and a trial has been scheduled for June to hear the original five charges. With the two new counts, he has now pleaded not guilty to seven charges in total.

What happened in court: pleas, bail and case management timetables

From the dock Brand spoke to confirm his name and entered his not guilty pleas. He was bailed to appear at Southwark Crown Court on a date to be fixed. A hearing will be held to decide whether the new allegations should be joined to the June trial. Brand's lawyer told the court that his client needed more time to address the further allegations.

Recorder Andrew Baumgartner said there would be a case management hearing in March. In a separate exchange Mr Justice Bennathan said there would be a further case management hearing in March, told Brand, “Mr Brand I’m sure you’ve heard everything we’ve been talking about. I will renew your bail, ” and reminded him of his bail conditions; Brand replied, “Yes, your lordship. ”

Arrival, appearance and items brought into court

Accounts of Brand's arrival and appearance noted a patterned shirt and a fedora-style hat: some descriptions said a leopard-print shirt with several buttons undone and a dark jacket, others described a partially unbuttoned tiger-print shirt, dangling necklaces and a light-coloured monogrammed fedora. He wore sunglasses at times in public areas of the court.

He carried a copy of the Bible into the building; the book was described as having pages bookmarked or stuck with colourful post-it notes. Court officers removed his hat before the hearing and at least one officer took the Bible before proceedings began. As he left the courtroom he put on sunglasses, clutched the Bible, left with his legal team and four men who had been sitting in the public gallery, and was later picked up in a black Mercedes. There was a brief scuffle between his security and a cameraman outside the court.

Origins of the inquiry and Brand's profile

Detectives began investigating allegations into Brand following newspaper and television reporting in 2023. Brand, who was born in Essex, rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and as a presenter of television shows such as Big Brother's Big Mouth and to an audience through national radio programmes. He later developed a film career, starring in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek.

Brand denied the claims in a video posted online the night before the investigative reporting was published, saying that his relationships had been consensual and accusing the media of a "coordinated attack. " He was previously married to Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012 and is now married to Laura Gallacher, the sister of TV presenter Kirsty; the couple have three children.

Reaction in court and his brief on-the-record remarks

When asked how he was feeling ahead of the hearing, Brand replied, "Blessed. " He spoke only briefly from the dock to confirm his name and his not guilty pleas. The court will return for case management hearings in March to set timetables and to determine whether the fresh allegations will be joined to the existing prosecution ahead of the June trial.