Russell Brand trial date set after actor pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault
The comedian and actor has denied the allegations against him.
Russell Brand has entered a not guilty plea to charges of rape and sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court.
The actor and comedian, 49, appeared in court on Friday after being formally charged by the Metropolitan Police last month with rape and sexual assault.
Brand did not speak to reporters and looked straight ahead as he entered the court building.
Once inside the court, Brand stood inside the dock flanked by two officers and looked straight ahead as he delivered his pleas.
He is due to stand trial on June 3 next year at the same court.
Brand was charged in April with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, relating to four separate women.
The Get Him To The Greek star was released on conditional bail and has returned to court for his plea and trial preparation hearing.
Brand has been accused of sexual assault and controlling behaviour over several years at the height of his fame.
Brand was wearing an open pinstriped shirt, black jacket and jeans (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) He didn’t speak to reporters on his way into court (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire) Brand has maintained his innocence (Picture: David M. Benett/Getty Images)The allegations against Brand were first published in September 2023 when the alleged victims came forward.
He has maintained his innocence, and previously stated that any encounters were ‘consensual’, while declaring he was ‘never was a rapist’.
In a video posted on X, the comedian said: ‘I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I’m incredibly grateful for that.’
He said in the clip: ‘I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had a wife and family, who are there just out of shot. I was a fool, man, I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord.
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Previous Page Next Page‘I was a drug addict, a sex addict, and an imbecile but what I never was, was a rapist.’
Brand made his first court appearance earlier this month at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, facing allegations of offences against four women from 1999 to 2005.
He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address, and that he understood his bail conditions.
The charges against him, as heard in court, include allegedly raping a woman in a hotel room when she attended a Labour Party conference in 1999.
The charges against him relate to accusations of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault between 1999 and 2005 (Picture: Neil Mockford/Getty Images) He first appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this month (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)It is alleged that when the woman went to the bathroom after a theatrical event in Bournemouth, Brand removed some of his clothing and later pushed her on the bed, removed her underwear, and raped her.
Another woman accused Brand of indecent assault after being allegedly grabbed by her forearm by him as he tried to drag her into a male toilet at a television station in 2001.
The third alleged victim, the court heard, was a TV worker Brand met in Soho 21 years ago, and he is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly orally raping her after pulling her into a toilet.
The fourth complainant is a radio station worker who met Brand during his time working for Channel 4 show Big Brother’s Big Mouth between 2004 and 2005.
Russell Brand rose to fame in 2004 hosting a Big Brother spin-off show (Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)It’s alleged that Brand grabbed her by the face with both hands and pushed her against a wall, kissed her and then grabbed her breasts and buttocks.
Brand was charged following an investigation, after he was accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse by several women, in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, in September 2023.
Posting on his X account at the time of the allegations, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.
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