Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges — russell brand enters pleas

russell brand, 50, pleaded not guilty to two further sexual offence charges at Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday. The additional counts relate to alleged incidents in 2009 involving two women, the Crown Prosecution Service says.

Russell Brand in the dock

Brand appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday morning to enter pleas. He spoke from the dock to confirm his name and his not guilty pleas. On leaving the courtroom he was on bail and left the courtroom but not the building, and was later picked up in a black Mercedes.

Allegations of rape and sexual assault

The latest charges comprise one count of rape and one count of sexual assault, both alleged to have taken place in 2009 and said to relate to two women. Brand was charged in December with those two counts. The Crown Prosecution Service says the offences are alleged to have taken place in the city in 2009 and relate to two women.

Bail, hearings and case management

A hearing will be held to decide whether the new allegations should be joined to the existing case, and Brand's lawyer said his client needed more time to address the further allegations. Recorder Andrew Baumgartner said there would be a case management hearing in March. Mr Justice Bennathan also said there would be a further case management hearing in March and told Brand: "Mr Brand I'm sure you've heard everything we've been talking about. I will renew your bail. " When asked if he understood his bail conditions, Brand replied: "Yes, your lordship. " He was bailed to appear at Southwark Crown Court at a date to be fixed. A trial has been scheduled for June to hear the original charges, and Brand is due to stand trial later this year in relation to the five original charges.

Previous charges and trial schedule

Brand has previously pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault in relation to alleged offences said to have taken place between 1999 and 2005 in London and Bournemouth, involving four women. Those five charges were announced in April last year, and, with the two new counts, Brand has now pleaded not guilty to seven charges in total.

Appearance, items and brief scuffle

Witnesses noted Brand's appearance as he entered the court building. He arrived wearing a fedora-style hat, sunglasses and a patterned shirt variously described as leopard print and tiger print, with several buttons undone and, on one description, dangling necklaces. He carried a copy of the Bible into the court building with pages bookmarked and colourful post-it notes; a dock officer removed the Bible before the hearing started. As he left the building he put on his sunglasses and clutched the Bible; there was a brief scuffle outside between his security and a cameraman.

Background, career and personal life

Brand was born in Essex and rose to fame as a stand-up comedian. He became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother's Big Mouth and with his own radio programmes, and later pursued a film career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek. He presented a radio show between 2006 and 2008 and presented Big Brother spin-off shows in the 2000s. He was married to the US pop singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012 and is now married to Laura Gallacher, the sister of the TV presenter Kirsty; the couple have three children.

Detectives began investigating allegations into Brand following reporting by national newspapers and a television investigation in 2023. The night before publication of some of that coverage, Brand denied the claims in a video posted online, saying that all of his relationships had been consensual and accusing the media of a "coordinated attack. " When asked how he was feeling ahead of the hearing, he replied: "Blessed. "

Brand has pleaded not guilty to the newly charged counts and to the earlier set of five charges; a March case management hearing and a trial scheduled for June will determine next steps.