Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty to New 2009 Rape and Sexual Assault Charges
British comedian and actor Russell Brand has entered a not guilty plea to fresh charges of rape and sexual assault, relating to alleged incidents that occurred in 2009. The 50-year-old, who is currently based in Florida, appeared at Southwark Crown Court this morning to formally deny the offences.
Details of the New Charges
Brand is specifically accused of raping one woman sometime between February 7 and March 1, 2009, and sexually assaulting another between August 31 and December 1 of the same year. He flew back from the United States specifically for this hearing, where he spoke only to confirm his identity and enter his pleas from the dock.
A trial is scheduled to begin later this year in relation to these new charges.
Court Appearance and Personal Transformation
Brand arrived at the court in a black Mercedes-Benz, dressed in a distinctive outfit that included a white wide-brimmed hat, a tiger-print shirt open to the midriff, pinstripe trousers, and a large grey overcoat. Notably, he carried a copy of the Bible with several bookmarks protruding from the top, reflecting his public declaration of finding religion in early 2024.
Background of Existing Charges
These new charges add to an already complex legal situation for the former presenter. Brand is already facing one count each of rape, indecent assault, and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, which relate to four separate women. He appeared in court in May of last year to plead not guilty to those five original charges.
The original incidents are said to have occurred between 1999 and 2005, with allegations including:
- Raping a woman in a hotel in 1999 after meeting her at a theatrical event following the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
- Raping a television worker in 2004 after meeting her in a Soho bar, allegedly grabbing her breasts and forcing her into a toilet for a sex act.
- Indecently assaulting a woman in 2001 by grabbing her arm and attempting to drag her into a male lavatory at a television station.
- Assaulting a radio station worker while working for Channel 4 on Big Brother's Big Mouth between 2004 and 2005.
Investigation and Public Statements
Detectives began investigating Brand in September 2023 after receiving numerous allegations, which were prompted by reporting from The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. In response to the initial charges last year, Brand denied all allegations in a video posted online, stating, 'When I was young and single, before I had my wife and family… I was a fool, man. I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict, and an imbecile. But what I never was was a rapist. I have never engaged in non-consensual activity.'
A four-week trial is set to commence at Southwark Crown Court this summer specifically for the five original charges, with the new charges likely to be addressed in subsequent proceedings.
